


Queens Amongst the Broken

by Little_Comett



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Character is human, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Goat Mom Is Best Mom, Innocent Papyrus, Mettaton is Sassy, Minor Mettaton/Papyrus, No skele incest, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Past Relationship(s), Protective monsters, Sans Remembers Resets, Sans is huge, Sans the skeleton - Freeform, Size Difference, Size Kink, Skele-love, Snas - Freeform, Sorry Not Sorry, The ship is real, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, can't help it, character is not frisk, frisk talks, why wouldn't he be?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-09-25 17:36:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 21,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9835049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Comett/pseuds/Little_Comett
Summary: Not everyone is as happy as they seem.  Not everyone has a smile that only holds happiness.  And certainly, not everyone has seen what everyone hides beneath their sleeves.No one did.  No one understood what she'd been going through for three years.  Nor did she open up she show anyone or allow herself to get any help.  Why would she?  The last person she trusted was the one causing her all this pain.  All this suffering.  He was the one who did this to her.  Who turned her into this false-smile, long sleeves, broken girl.Even not opening up, there was one person who saw straight through the wall she'd built up.  Someone in just as much pain.  And just because this person was much different than her. . . perhaps . . . They weren't quite as different as they'd thought. . . ?//Undertale proudly belongs to the one and only Toby Fox.  I do not claim any of the Undertale characters as my own, only the OCs that I have created!  This story will be updated on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays!





	1. When It Started

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I am trash.  
> No, I do not care.  
> Yes, I would very much like you to enjoy my story!
> 
> This will hopefully be updated very often, depending on how many kudos I get! Updates will be on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays!

            It had been another long, exhausting day of work at the café. She loved her job there, of course she did, but she was always exhausted after every day. From constantly serving customers, to burning herself on multiple coffees. It didn’t matter, though. She’d always go back.

            Sighing, she placed her purse on the coffee table, looking at her boyfriend who was glaring at the TV, the news blasting throughout the house. Nothing was different. It was the same news as always. The newsman reported more riots and protests over the monsters’ escape from beneath Mount Ebbott. It was the same news for over the last three months. People had yet to accept the monster’s. At least, most of them… Including the young man on the couch.

            “Rory, grab me a beer, will ya?”

            Rory was taken aback by her boyfriend’s demanding tone. Deciding not to argue, she rushed to the kitchen, grabbing a single beer from the fridge and bringing it back. She stood in front of him, handing him the cold bottle. A scowl appeared on his face as he yanked the bottle from her hand.

            With a shaky sigh, Rory sat down beside her boyfriend, looking up at the TV. She made sure to keep a distance from him, knowing he was in a bad mood.

            “Can you believe those monster fucks?” Heath scoffed, “nothing more than worthless freaks, if you ask me.”

            Rory sighed.

            “They aren’t that bad, Heath. I mean, they’re just like us, right? They have emotions too…”

            Rory Ford did not hold the same mind frame as most people. She’d come to accept the monsters, despite having never met one. She saw nothing wrong with them, despite their odd appearances. And odd appearances were nothing, not to her anyway. As long as they had a soul, something that could feel emotion, she considered them people.

            “Are you serious?”

            Heath straightened, his gaze no longer focused on the TV, but instead on his girlfriend. He was clenching onto the beer bottle tightly, clearly holding back anger.

            “Y-Yeah… They’re not really any diff--”

            Never before had Heath laid a finger on Rory. Not to hurt her, anyway. But that night, he had. He struck her so hard across the face, that it sent her head flying in the opposite direction and caused her to fall back on the couch. Rory’s eyes went wide and she curled up, holding her already bruising cheek. Tears streamed freely from her eyes.

            “You little bitch! Supporting those freaks like some little slut, huh? You’ve probably been sleeping around with them like a little dog, right?” Heath howled furiously.

            Rory was trembling. She’d never felt so vulnerable to anyone. She’d never felt so terrified.

            “H-Heath… I’m sorry…”

            “Sorry my ass!”

            She let out a scream as he grabbed her hair, throwing her off the couch and roughly into their wooden coffee table. The wood splintered beneath her hand as she tried to catch herself. Chunks of broken wood pierced her hand, before she fell to the floor. She clutched her hand, sobbing as her boyfriend kicked her small, curled up form.

 

            And, that continued for hours. Then, it continued for weeks. Then months, before almost a whole year had passed, constantly suffering beneath her boyfriend’s hold. He wouldn’t let her go, threatening her with many things. She would have run away. But, one does not understand true terror, true suffering, until they have grown too terrified to brace running away.

            That was how Rory lived, constantly terrified of what her “loving” boyfriend would do next. So, the days that she was at work, helping customers and putting a false smile on her face, those were the days, the moments, that she cherished.

            Because, after all, every day at home was a true nightmare.

            But as one once said, there are still queens that lie amongst the broken.


	2. Those Special Skeletons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, it wasn’t as if I’d never seen monsters. In fact, recently many monsters had been moving to our city. It seemed odd, considering that our city was only a few miles from Mount Ebbott. I assumed that monsters would want to be as far away from that mountain as possible. Then again, I supposed that it had been their home for a very long time.
> 
> This takes place in Rory's P.O.V~

            I stared into the mirror, carefully focused on applying the concealer to the bruises on my face. Wincing, I let out a small whimper as the concealer burned the small cut on my upper lip, something I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide. Sighing, I finished up with the makeup. I turned my head to the right, then to the left.

            The bruises were still visible, but barely. They were covered well enough for the average person not to notice.

            I quickly threw my hair into a messy bun, exiting the bathroom. I snuck past my drunk boyfriend, who was sprawled out on the couch, nearly knocked out, and out the front door. With a shaky huff, I started up my car, and headed out for another long day of work. But I wouldn’t complain, simply grateful to get away from Heath for a few hours, until I’d return home for another painful night of abuse.

            Thankfully, it was never sexual, despite it being often referenced.

            ‘Tch,’ I thought, ‘I shouldn’t be thankful for things like that.’

            I entered the café, a smile spreading across my face the moment the scent of coffee and delicious morning foods hit me. I walked to the back, putting on our uniform blue apron and clocking in.

            “Good morning, Rory!” A familiar loud voice chirped.

            I turned, seeing my best friend, and coworker, happily making some eggs. Gabby raised her hand, spatula and egg still attached, and enthusiastically waved. The egg went flying directly at me. I narrowly dodged, watching the egg splatter onto the wall behind me and slide down to the floor, where it pooled in a sticky mess.

            I raised a brow, looking at Gabby, who had a sheepish grin across her face.

            “Whoops…?”

            I laughed, rolling my eyes at her childishness. Sometimes it was hard to believe that she was older than me. We both paused a moment, hearing the front door opened, followed by the steady ring of the bell, signaling that someone had come in.

            “You’re cleaning that up!” I chirped, before grabbing my notepad and heading out of the kitchen, just before Gabby launched another egg at me.

            Now, it wasn’t as if I’d never seen monsters. In fact, recently many monsters had been moving to our city. It seemed odd, considering that our city was only a few miles from Mount Ebbott. I assumed that monsters would want to be as far away from that mountain as possible. Then again, I supposed that it had been their home for a very long time.

            “HELLO, KIND HUMANS! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND MY BROTHER SANS IS ALSO HERE!”

            The loud voice clearly annoyed the other customers, and they all turned to glare at the two skeletons that stood by the door.

            The loud one, or the taller of the two, was quite…confident…? He held his head up proudly, posture straight and grin never faltering, though I wasn’t sure if it could. He stood at 7’, maybe even taller. He wore something that reminded me of a child’s Halloween costume, consisting of a small top that only covered his ribs, strange bottoms, large gloves and boots, and a worn red scarf.

            The skeleton behind him, much shorter compared to his companion, but by no means small, stood at about 6’5. He was much more laid back, with a bit of a slouch and his hands lazily stuffed into the blue coat he wore. This was also adorned with black basketball shorts and… pink slippers…? A lazy grin was etched across his face, the white pinprick pupils in his sockets darting around, before landing on me. Clearly, he was very observant, more so than I was certain that he let on.

            The moment they did, I spread a smile across my face, walking toward them.

            “HELLO, SMALL HUMAN!” The taller skeleton, Papyrus, announced.

            I paused, slightly irked. Yes, I was a very small person, standing at only 5’3. Though, despite me being short for most regular sized people, I realized that I must look much shorter to these two giant skeletons.

            I didn’t let my smile falter, looking between the two skeletons, the one beside Papyrus staying silent, though a smirk did twitch at his features.

            “Hello, the Great Papyrus and his brother Sans!” I chirped with a smirk of my own.

            Papyrus’ grin seemed to grow.

            “WE ARE HERE TO TRY YOUR CERTAINLY DELICIOUS FOODS! WHERE SHALL WE SIT?”

            “Anywhere you’d like.”

            “ANYWHERE? AH, I KNOW JUST THE PLACE!”

            I followed the energetic skeleton to a booth in the corner. Sans lazily walked beside me, neither of us wanting to run to follow Papyrus.

            “Sorry about him, he’s too hyper for his own good.”

            I was taken aback by the baritone voice that left the skeleton’s mouth. Momentarily flustered by it, I quickly calmed myself down.

            “It’s no problem,” I giggled, “in fact, it’s nice to have a change.”

            Sans chuckled, and we finally reached the table, Papyrus already happily seated. Sans sunk into the seat across from Papyrus, snickering at his brother’s excitement. I giggled softly, not wanting to be rude.

            “Alright, what might I get for you two?” I asked with a smile.

            Sans’ eyes averted from his brother, to me. He was silent for a moment, grin faltering for just a split second, making me think I’d imagined it, before speaking up.

            “Ketchup,” he chuckled.

            “Ketchup? Just ketchup…?”

            “UGH, SANS! ORDER SOME REAL FOOD INSTEAD OF YOUR SILLY CONDIMENTS!”

            Sans groaned, but looked down at the menu nonetheless. I giggled at the childishness of the two, awaiting their order.

            “I THINK I SHALL TRY THIS MAYO-NAYOS SANDWICH!”

            I held back laughter at the mispronunciation of the word “mayonnaise”, but didn’t speak up. Sans did, of course, despite his snickers.

            “Bro, I think you mean mayonnaise.”

            “NO, IT SAYS MAYO-NAYOS, I’M QUITE CERTAIN!”

            “Whatever you say, bro.”

            I giggled, rolling my eyes, unable to contain my own childishness around these two. They just had that aura about them, I supposed. It was quite a nice change to have, honestly, especially considering what my normal life is like.

            “And what can I get you to drink?” I asked.

            “A DRINK? OH, YES, OF COURSE! FOR A DRINK I SHALL HAVE A SIMPLE GLASS OF MILK! MILK IS GOOD FOR YOUR BONES, DID YOU KNOW?”

            I laughed softly, nodding and writing his order in my notebook.

            “Smart choice. It’s always good to take care of your bones, Papyrus,” I stated.

            He grinned proudly, and we both looked at his brother, awaiting his order. He huffed a bit, leaning back in his seat, before looking up at me.

            “I guess I’ll have the same thing,” he stated nonchalantly.

            I nodded, writing it down.

            “Same drink?”

            “Nah, I’ll still take that ketchup.”

            I didn’t argue with the strange order, writing down ketchup for the drink. I guess everyone has their own tastes and preferences. So, I didn’t judge, simply bidding them a momentary goodbye, before heading to the kitchen. Gabby greeted me with a normal wave, and I have her the small lists, getting their drinks together.

            “Ketchup?” She questioned.

            I giggled.

            “Yep.”

            I left the kitchen with the drinks, setting them in front of the two skeletons. I watched in shock as Sans grabbed the bottle, popping off the lid and taking a large gulp from the bottle. My eyes were wide, and my jaw had dropped. Sans chuckled, looking at me, smirking. Even more shocking, a cyan tongue slithered from his mouth, licking the red liquid from his teeth.

            “Thanks for the drink, **_Bruises_**.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading to the end! I've already got a fair amount of kudos and comments, so thank you so much! I'll try to update regularly for the next few days to get the story going, then I'll set up a schedule. 
> 
> I'll try to have another chapter up in a bit! Enjoy!


	3. His Sharp Gaze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By now, Sans had put his phone away, sitting up. His pinprick gaze was focused on me, holding an apologetic look in them. I smiled, pulling his hood up over his head teasingly.
> 
> “Don’t worry about it, Chuckles,” I stated.

            Papyrus hadn’t gotten it. He was oblivious to the reference, and I stared at Sans in shock. My mind was reeling. How had he seen the bruises beneath all the makeup? How had he noticed them? He _knew._ That’s why he’d said it. He was subtly telling me that he _knew_ something was up. Perhaps he was more observant than I’d originally given him credit for.

            I clutched my notepad, staring at the skeleton, who stared back at me knowingly. He didn’t know the story, but, it was clear that he knew something wasn’t right.

            I forced a smile onto my face.

            “Anytime, Bones. I’ll be back with the food in just a few minutes.”

            I walked back to the kitchen, quickly taking off my apron and rushing to the back bathroom. I looked in the mirror, making sure my makeup hadn’t smeared. It hadn’t. It was still perfectly intact, the bruises well hidden beneath it. How had he seen them? They were hidden. There was no way…

            A knock on the door.

            “Rory? You alright?” Gabby called from the other side of the door.

            “Y-Yeah, I’ll be out in just one second, sorry!”

            I washed my hands, feeling a bit better afterward, due to cleanliness. After a moment, I exited the bathroom. Gabby had finished the skeletons’ orders, and I forced a smile, grabbing the tray and carefully balancing it on my arm, before walking out of the kitchen.

            Papyrus had turned around in his seat, happily talking to the kid behind him, who looked just as happy to be talking to the skeleton. The kid’s parents looked a bit pleased as the two happily talked, whispered to one another. Sans was leaned back in his seat, playing something on his phone boredly, not paying any attention to his brother.

            At least, it seemed that way. From what I could tell so far, he was more observant of the things around him than he let on. I was almost certain that he was paying attention to everything his brother and the kid said to one another, despite how uninterested he seemed.

            I walked to the table, setting down the food in front of the two skeletons. Papyrus turned around, grinning.

            “MISS, THIS IS MY NEW FRIEND, GAVIN!” He announced proudly.

            I giggled, ruffling Gavin’s hair lightly. He pouted, but laughed nonetheless while he fixed his hair. His parents chuckled.

            “Good to see you’ve made a new friend, Papyrus,” I said, smiling.

            He grinned proudly, looking down at his food. By now, Sans had put his phone away, sitting up. His pinprick gaze was focused on me, holding an apologetic look in them. I smiled, pulling his hood up over his head teasingly.

            “Don’t worry about it, Chuckles,” I stated.

            Sans snorted, looking at me from beneath his hood, smirking. He pulled it down, gaze finally averting from me, to his food. I could have sworn I saw a faint blue tint to his cheekbones. Blinking, I looked toward the kitchen door.

            “I’ll be back in a bit to check on you guys,” I said.

            “THANK YOU FOR BEING SO KIND, TINY WAITRESS!” Papyrus grinned.

            I giggled at Papyrus’ innocence, but truthfully, would be checking up on the two skeletons more often than normal. They intrigued me, and they brought a real smile to my face, something that didn’t happen often. Just as I had turned to walk to the kitchen, Papyrus piped up again.

            “OH, AND COULD WE POSSIBLY GET YOUR NAME?”

            That made me pause. I looked back at them, seeing both skeletons staring at me expectantly. After a moment, I smiled, straightening up a bit.

            “My name’s Rory.”

            That was all I said, not awaiting an answer, before I was walking back to the kitchen. Gabby looked at me, grinning.

            “You seem to be out of the kitchen a lot, Rory. Is there like hot guys outside or something that you’re not telling me about?” She giggled.

            I laughed, rolling my eyes. I would have loved to say I had a loving boyfriend and he’s the only person on my mind. I would have loved to tell her that my boyfriend is the only guy that I needed and I wasn’t looking at other guys. But, instead, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

            “Heath would kill me if I said yes,” I stated.

            Gabby took it as a joke. Everyone did. Because around people, Heath was the same, caring boyfriend as he’d been a year ago before all the abuse started. My smile didn’t fade, but it was no longer a genuine smile.   It wasn’t a joke though. He really would. But no one would ever understand that. No one would ever believe.

            “Oh whatever,” Gabby laughed.

            I sighed, nodding.

            “Yeah… Whatever…”

            The bell rang above the door, and I grabbed my notepad once more, exiting the kitchen. Instantly, I stopped in my tracks, choking momentarily on my breath. I watched Heath saunter in, his hair neatly combed. His posture was straight, gaze darting everywhere. It stopped on the two skeletons, and a scowl crossed his features.

            Quickly taking action before he did something stupid, I walked to him, forcing a smile on my face. Heath looked at me, and a twisted smile formed on his face, a knowing look in his eyes.

            “Hello, Love,” he said, wrapping an arm around my waist.

            I flinched a bit as he practically spits out the word ‘Love’. He brought his face close to mine, breath reeking of alcohol. He was drunk. Very drunk. And I was slowly growing terrified of going home tonight. I gulped, pushing him back slightly, knowing I’d pay for it tonight.

            “Not at w-work, baby…” I said shakily.

            Heath’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t say anything in protest, knowing it would only start more of a fight then there needed to be. He smirked a bit, knowing the fight would be quickly ended by the end of the night.

            “Just came by to say hello…”

            His voice was taunting. He was teasing me, trying to terrify me before I was even home. And it was working… I gulped, nodding. With a simple huff, he turned, exiting the café as quickly as he’d come in. I felt a long sigh leave my lips, and the stiffness in my posture released, something I hadn’t even realized was there.

            With a tremble in my step and a shakiness in my breath, I returned to the kitchen, not saying a word to anyone.

            I was unaware of the white pinprick pupils that followed me until I was behind the doors.


	4. Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey, Kid. How would you like to do an annual anime thing with us tonight?” Sans asked.
> 
> The questioned took me aback, and clearly, it did the same to Sans. He looked almost stunned that he’d asked the question, and quickly became flustered. He tugged at the strings on his jacket, a faint blue color dusting his cheekbones.

            I hid in the bathroom for only five minutes, before I was forced to continue my job. I made sure all my makeup was still covering the bruises, before exiting. I put on my apron once again, before leaving the kitchen to make sure all the customers were doing alright. I forced another large smile on my face, saving my two favorite skeletons for last, just so I could spend a bit more time with them.

            “WELCOME BACK, RORY!” Papyrus greeted loudly.

            I giggled, my previous fear fading.

            “Hello, Papyrus,” I chirped.

            “WE SAW YOU SAVED US FOR LAST! IS THAT BECAUSE YOU DISLIKE US, SMALL HUMAN?” Papyrus questioned, unable to hide the hurt in his eyes.

            I instantly felt guilty. I waved my hands, shaking my head rapidly. It must have seemed that way, I realized. I had passed their table multiple times without asking how they were or even saying a hello.

            “N-No! Not at all! I wanted to save you guys for last so I could stay longer!” I blurted, before blushing from embarrassment.

            I must have seemed like a complete weirdo to these two. I’ve completely embarrassed myself many times in front of them. Why can’t I just be normal for once? I lowered my hands, sighing.

            “OH! WELL IN THAT CASE, YOU ARE QUITE WELCOME TO TALK WITH US, RORY! WE ENJOY YOUR COMPANY VERY MUCH!” Papyrus grinned.

            I looked at him, before looking at Sans, who’s knowing irises were focused on me already. He grinned, nodding in response to Papyrus’ words.

            “Yeah, of course, Kiddo.”

            I grinned at their words, a light pink color coming to my cheeks. These two were already becoming someone who I wished I could consider friends. But, of course, reality dawned on me. They weren’t my friends. They were customers, who I’d most likely never see again after today.

            “Hey, Kid. How would you like to do an annual anime thing with us tonight?” Sans asked.

            The questioned took me aback, and clearly, it did the same to Sans. He looked almost stunned that he’d asked the question, and quickly became flustered. He tugged at the strings on his jacket, a faint blue color dusting his cheekbones.

            “I-I mean… You barely know us so I totally understand if you don’t want to. It’s not like we’re going to rape you or anything--” His eyes widened, “-Shit, I didn’t mean it like that! Damnit, I just made it sound like we are going to rape you, which we’re not, I swear!”

            The composed, calm skeleton from two seconds ago was gone, replaced with a shy, anxious skeleton who babbled when he was nervous. It made me giggle, before I was full on laughing, having to balance myself on the table to stay upright. I couldn’t help it, I really couldn’t. This laughter brought tears to my eyes, not only because I was out of breath, but also because of the fact that it had been almost a year since I’d laughed so hard.

            Eventually, though, I calmed down. I straightened up, looking at Sans, who was even more flustered than before. He’d pulled his hood up, tugging it down to try to hide his embarrassment.

            “I’d love to come, Sans,” I giggled, “mind if I bring my friend?”

            Sans peeked out from beneath his hood. He coughed, pulling it down, his skull still blue from embarrassment. Even Papyrus was chuckling at his embarrassment.

            “Not at all. In fact, it would be totally egg-selent. Not just that, but every there will be totally egg-static with your presence,” he smirked at his lame egg puns.

            I snorted into my hand as Papyrus began raging. When we’d all calmed down, I nodded.

            “I’ll be there, along with my friend.”

            Sans’ shoulders slumped with relief, obviously not wanting to be humiliated if I’d denied. It was stupid to accept it, knowing that Heath would be furious, but I was determined to go.

            Sans, Papyrus, and I ended up exchanging numbers. Sans texted me the address after they’d left, and I was happily bounding to the kitchen to bed Gabby to come with me. I could barely contain my excitement as I shook her shoulder, causing her to drop the spatula.

            “Rory, calm down, what happened?” She laughed.

            “You have to come with me to this thing!”

            “Thing?”

            “Yeah, these two skeletons invited us to an anime marathon! Gabby, please come with me!” I begged.

            Gabby hesitated. She had the same mind frame as I did. She was very accepting of monsters, just like me. But, like any sane person, I could understand the hesitation of going to two men’s house after having just met them.

            “Fine, I guess I have to protect your ass somehow,” she giggled.

            I squealed with excitement, hugging her tightly. She laughed, rolling her eyes at my excitement. She was probably a bit stunned. It must have been a long time since she’d last seen me this excited over anything. And truthfully, it had been a long time since I’d felt this excited.

            Sadly, the excitement faded as I realized I still had to tell Heath that I would be home late tonight. I decided to just tell him that I’d be spending the night at Gabby’s, and end up going over to her place after the marathon. So, I texted him. Lying was easy, and of course he’d attempted to order me to come home, but through a text it was much less threatening. I shut down my phone, not wanting to read the threats, grinning at Gabby.

            There was no doubt that the rest of that day had been the longest work day of my life.

 

* * *

 

            By the end of our shift, Gabby and I were hurriedly rushing out to my car. We scrambled in, giddy with excitement. I started the car, following Gabby’s directions as she read out the address that Sans had given us. I drove, since Gabby had the worst driving in the world (and it was also my car, but my driving truthfully wasn’t much better).

            We pulled up to the house slowly, seeing three cars already parked in the driveway. I parked in front of the house, by the curb. I stared at the house, suddenly realizing how nervous I was. It had been a year since I’d done anything like this. Since I’d actually left the house to go hang out with any friends. Because of this, I had lost many friends, only managing to keep Gabby.

            Gabby lightly placed a hand on my shoulder.

            “Don’t be so nervous… It’ll be fine. I’m here.”

            With those words, we exited the car, and headed for the front door. This time, there was no hesitation in my steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support so far in only one day of having this published! You guys are great! I'll try to have one more up today, then I'll be finished, probably. Hehe. . .


	5. More Friends Than Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I trembled, tears pooling in my eyes. Gabby stopped, looking at me. Everyone went silent. I choked out a shaky laugh, covering my face as the tears began spilling. I was crying because of my own stupidity. I cried at my own terror. Heath had me in the palm of his hand. And with one wrong turn, I knew I’d go crashing to the ground without a cushion to land on.

            I raised a hand to the door, knocking three times. Within seconds, the door flew open, and I was greeted by a very familiar tall skeleton. Papyrus grinned widely upon seeing us. I was stunned as I was abruptly yanked into a tight hug by the skeleton. My face pressed against the top piece of his “armor”.

            “WELCOME TO OUR HOME, RORY!” He announced loudly.

            Papyrus released me, and I stumbled a bit, giggling. Oddly, something that stood out to me was the strange softness of his bones. Of course, they were by no means “soft”, but they weren’t like normal bones. I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around the odd feeling. After a moment, I simply came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t understand because us humans didn’t quite understand magic like monsters did. I was certain that it was magic, anyway.

            “YOU MUST BE THE SMALL HUMAN’S FRIEND!” He chirped to Gabby, who was already grinning.

            “Yep! I’m Gabby!”

            She held out her hand for him to shake. Instead, he yanked her into a tight embrace, which she gladly returned, giggling. I smiled, already seeing the friendship that would form between the two. Though, I didn’t think it would go beyond friendship, especially considering that Papyrus seemed much to innocent for any type of relationship.

            After a moment, Papyrus and Gabby released one another. Gabby looked at me, smiling, which I gladly returned. Any nervousness from before had disappeared as Papyrus guided us into his home.

            There were other monsters there too, who all looked toward Gabby and I, clearly a bit stunned by our appearance. I waved shyly, catching Sans’ eye. He was lazily sprawled out across their green couch, his usual grin spread across his face. We both awkwardly looked away, and I looked around at all the other monsters.

            In a beanbag chair, two female monsters sat. The larger one, a very beautiful fish-like woman sat, with the smaller dinosaur-lizard-like woman in her lap. The fish woman had crimson hair, which was neatly being braided by the smaller woman. She had sharp teeth, soft blue skin (scales), and a brown eye, the other covered by an eyepatch. The smaller woman had yellow scales and was quite small, probably the same size as me. She wore glasses and a cute white dress.

            Standing beside the couch was another woman, followed by another large male monster. The woman was beautiful, especially considering that she reminded me of a goat-woman. She has soft red eyes and white fur. She wore a purple dress, her posture straight. She was graceful, I could tell. The man beside her was a male version of her, with the same white fur and red eyes. He wore a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, and had short blonde hair on his head.

            Then there was a little girl sitting on Sans’ lower legs, happily talking to the goat woman beside her. She was human, and looked about thirteen or fourteen. She had brown hair with bangs, which she occasionally pushed from her face. Her eyes were brown, and she had pale skin.

            Papyrus cleared his throat loudly, catching the attention of everyone. Papyrus stretched his arms, gesturing to Gabby and I.

            “THIS IS RORY AND GABBY! THEY ARE THE NEW HUMANS THAT SANS AND I WERE TELLING YOU ABOUT!”

            I gulped, waving nervously. Gabby was much more confident, waving enthusiastically.

            “Hi!” She squealed.

            Papyrus happily introduced us to everyone, and Gabby and I were both in shock when we found out who each of them were. In the Underground, they were the most important people. Asgore and Toriel were the king and queen of the monsters, still so, while their daughter Frisk was the Monster Ambassador. Undyne was the leader of the Royal Guard, whilst her girlfriend Alphys was the Royal Scientist. I was impressed, and truthfully honored to get to meet such important people.

            “OH! AND SANS! HE WAS THE JUDGE! HE JUDGED EVERYONE WHO WENT TO SEE THE KING, AND MADE SURE THAT NO SILLY HUMANS OR EVEN MONSTERS WOULD HURT KING DREEMUR!”

            I saw it.

            I saw the small glance that Sans and Frisk shot to one another. I saw the guilty look that crossed through both of their eyes. I saw Sans’ grip tighten on the arm of the couch, smile faltering slightly. Frisk was the first to look away. Something happened between them. I knew it. I could simply tell.

            “The Judge?” Gabby asked.

            “Yes. Since he was a kid. Apparently only him and Asgore knew, up until we came to the surface and they finally told us!” Undyne stated.

            Sans shrugged, smirking.

            “Every man has his secrets.” He chuckled.

            “I DO NOT! I TELL YOU EVERYTHING, BROTHER! LIKE THE TIME I REVEALED TO YOU THAT I SHOWER WITH MY BATTLE BODY!” Papyrus stated proudly.

            “Hey, bro, I’m not _judging._ ”

            I giggled, while everyone else groaned. Sans looked at me, hearing my giggle. I grinned, rubbing my neck sheepishly. What could I say? I was a sucker for puns.

            “Good, because that would be _lawful._ ” I piped up.

            I watched Sans’ eyes light up and his grin widen.

            “Nice pun, it’d be _bonely_ if I was the only pun master around.” He shot back.

            “ _Tibia_ honest, you’re the only _skele-pun_ who’s so good at punning.” I smirked.

            “NO, NOT TWO OF YOU!” Papyrus groaned.

            We all laughed at his reaction, Gabby and I already being quite comfortable around all the monsters. Oddly, I felt more comfortable with them than I had around any actual humans. This new experience… It wasn’t unwelcome…

            The night was well spent, watching many episodes of anime, talking and joking around with each other, eating Papyrus’ not-very-edible spaghetti and Toriel’s butterscotch-cinnamon pie, and simply enjoying each other’s company. I was wedged between Sans and Gabby on the couch, talking to Toriel with a smile.

            “Rory,” Gabby nudged me, “tell them about your boyfriend.”

            It was an innocent suggestion. It wasn’t meant to hurt or to scare me. Simply the thought of talking about Heath was terrifying. But I also knew that this was my chance to tell them. To reveal everything and finally escape from the fear and maybe live a normal life. They’d help. I knew they wouldn’t let me suffer under his hold anymore, and Gabby would be furious if she found out. I choked on my words for a moment, before finally speaking.

            “H-He’s great. He takes such good care of me,” I said, voice much softer than before.

            Gabby grinned.

            “He rarely ever comes in like he used to, so I never see him anymore. But whenever I do he always makes sure to keep Rory close!” She giggled.

            It wasn’t out of love, I knew. It was in fear of me telling someone. It was making sure that I wouldn’t run, or that I my bruises wouldn’t accidentally be shown beneath my long sleeves. Heath was careful, something I would give him credit for. He was sneaky, and very slippery. He kept me under his eye at all times, making sure I never told. I never spoke up.

            All except for tonight.

            Tonight was my one chance. My one chance to expose him. But I ruined it.

            I trembled, tears pooling in my eyes. Gabby stopped, looking at me. Everyone went silent. I choked out a shaky laugh, covering my face as the tears began spilling. I was crying because of my own stupidity. I cried at my own terror. Heath had me in the palm of his hand. And with one wrong turn, I knew I’d go crashing to the ground without a cushion to land on.

            “Rory, what’s wrong? Did I say something?” Gabby asked fearfully.

            I shook my head, quickly wiping the tears before they smeared the makeup. I forced a smile onto my face, looking at everyone. They had worried looks on their faces. Concern was etched onto each of their faces, a look that almost brought more tears to my eyes, though I managed to control it. I hadn’t been cared for in what felt like forever.

            “It’s true, he treats me too good. Too good. I don’t deserve him. I really don’t deserve him.”

            The lies slipped from my lips like snakes, poisoning me further with every word. That was my chance, and I blew it. Heath still had me in the palm of his hand, and right now, I felt like he was holding me over a pit of fire.

            The conversation continued, averting into something else, which I was grateful for. I pretended not to notice Sans’ stare, nor the boney hand that was placed on the center of my back, out of view of anyone else. His face showed nothing, talking as if nothing had changed.

            _But he knew._

            He knew, and I could tell just by the way he kept his hand on my back, touch unbelievably gentle, as if I was made of glass. His phalanges hovered over the large bruise in the center of my back, barely brushing against it.

            He knew. I didn’t know how; I could barely comprehend it. But he knew, and I knew just by the way his fingers carefully traced the mark, silently telling me that he **_knew_** _._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans seems to be much more observant than Rory realized... How'd he know? Dunno... I suppose y'all will have to wait to find out...
> 
> Also, I've set up a schedule for the days this story is to be updated. I will have one or two chapters up every Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday! If chapters are late on any three of those days, it will most likely be because of school. Any chapters that are late will always be put up on the next update day, so it'll simply be extra chapters on some days.
> 
> Thanks for the support!


	6. Trust Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ground fell from my feet. Abruptly, my heart sank, and I clutched onto Sans tighter. My breath got caught in my throat, and I felt lighter than air, as if I was floating. The ground returned to my feet, and I was able to breathe again. I clutched onto Sans, regaining my balance and my breath.

            Throughout the rest of the night, Sans said nothing. He said nothing about the bruises, or the fact that something was up. He simply kept it to himself, though I had a feeling that his mind was reeling with all the thoughts about the situation. Occasionally, I would send him pleading looks, silently begging him not to get involved or to tell anyone. Sans was indifferent, continuing his conversations without a falter in his voice. But, he never did say anything.

            Once the party/hangout was over, Gabby and I bid our farewells, our phones now filled with many other monster’s numbers, before heading to her house. We did the usual, gossiping amongst ourselves and giggling at random things.

            “You and Sans seem to get along pretty well,” Gabby winked.

            My cheeks heated up slightly, and I rolled my eyes at the preposterous suggestion. Sometimes, she forgot that I had a boyfriend… Though, what I wouldn’t give to get away from him.

            “Shut up, he’s my friend. Of course we get along,” I stated.

            Gabby laughed, shrugging innocently. I giggled a bit, nudging her.

            Without a doubt, that was one of the best nights of my life. I got to spend it with my best friend, and many other new friends who I’d happily spend time with again, despite our differences.   But that was that and I knew that if Heath ever found out that I’d spent my time in the presence of many other monsters, he’d kill me.

            Early the next morning, I said my goodbyes to Gabby, returning “home”. It used to be a home, but now it felt more like a prison. I slowly pushed open the front door, peeking my head into the house. Heath was asleep on the couch, empty bottle in hand. Gulping, I stepped into the house, shutting the door quietly behind me.

            I walked to Heath slowly, nudging is shoulder gently.

            “H-Heath, baby, I’m home…” I whispered.

            His hand launched out, grabbing my hair. I cried out as he yanked me to him, eyes snapping open. He glared at me, and I trembled.

            “You fucking disobeyed me, Rory!” He yelled.

            I flinched at his voice, nodding shakily.

            “I-I just wanted to--”

            “I don’t fucking care what you want, do I?” He snapped furiously.

            I whimpered as he shoved me into the coffee table. I fell backwards, coughing as he kicked my stomach. I tried to shield myself from the hits with my arms, but it hardly helped. Tears pooled in my eyes.

            “H-Heath, I’m sorry!” I cried.

            “Sorry my ass! You knew that you never disobey me, Rory!” He snarled.

            I coughed as he kicked my throat, gripping it tightly as my vision blurred. I tasted metal, something I’d grown quite accustomed too.

            “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” I babbled out apologies pathetically.

            He stopped, grabbing my hair and yanking me up. I trembled, looking at him with terrified eyes. His grip tightened and he raised a hand to my cheek, hitting me hard. The impact brought more tears to my eyes and they spilled down my cheeks.

            “Who were you with, Rory?!”

            “G-Gabby!” I sobbed.

            “Who else!?” He raised his voice.

            “J-Just Gabby, Heath!”

            Heath threw me away from him. I stumbled, landing on my knees, before quickly scrambling to my feet. I looked at him, holding my cheek. He glared.

            “Get the fuck out of my sight, Rory.” He snarled.

            I didn’t hesitate, quickly rushing upstairs to my bedroom. I shut the door, locking it and shakily leaning against it. My heart pounded against my chest, and I slid down, hugging my knees to my chest.

            I wasn’t sure how long I’d stayed like that, but I was broken from the silence as my phone buzzed. I shakily pulled it from my pocket, looking at the text.

**Skelepun | 10:17 A.M. – hey**

            I stared at the text, before tapping my shaky fingers against the screen and responding.

**Me | 10:20 A.M. – Hey**

**Skelepun | 10:25 A.M. – i won’t say anything**

**Me | 10:29 A.M. – How’d you know**

**Skelepun | 10:34 A.M. – i could just tell**

            My shoulders slumped slightly. I sighed, head lowering, forehead resting on my knees. The pain gradually faded, but I knew there’d be marks left behind. I tried to reason with myself that this pain was temporary. It would be fixed. I would get away someday. This wouldn’t be the rest of my life, all this pain and suffering. I’d get away somehow.

**Skelepun | 10:56 A.M – hey, bruises, why don’t you and i get some lunch?**

            I stared at the text a bit shocked. A small smile twitched at my lips, and I quickly typed a response.

**Me | 10:58 A.M. – Where at**

            A few minutes without an answer.

**Skelepun | 11:03 A.M. – ever heard of grillby’s?**

**Me | 11:06 A.M. – Nope**

**Skelepun | 11:08 – now you have. i’ll meet you at your café**

            With that, I quickly stood up. I took a quick shower, then quickly put on makeup, before getting dressed. I managed to sneak past Heath and out of the house, getting in my car and heading toward the café. I was oddly excited, especially after what happened not long ago. But I didn’t care, my mind momentarily forgetting that and getting overwhelmed with the excitement of seeing my new skeleton friend again.

            I reached the café, seeing the skeleton waiting outside, hands lazily stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. I got out of the car to greet him. The moment he saw me, he straightened, grin widening a bit.

            I reached him, smiling.

            “Hey, Sans,” I greeted.

            His gaze wandered my face. Clearly not thinking, he raised a hand, his boney fingers lightly touching the bruise on my cheek.

            “Why do you let him do that to you, Bruises?” He sighed.

            My shoulders slumped a bit.

            “It’s a lot easier to ask questions like that than it is to try to stop him.”

            “I know… I didn’t…” He sighed.

            Sans lowered his hand, returning it back into his pocket. We were both silent for a few seconds, before he smiled at me once more.

            “Wanna go to Grillby’s?” He asked. “It’ll be fun, I promise.” He winked.

            I giggled softly, nodding.

            “Sure, I’ll trust you on that.”

            Sans grinned, holding out his arm for me to take. I giggled, sliding my arm into his. He chuckled, and we began walking to my car, agreeing that he would drive so I wouldn’t end up with us getting lost on the way to Grillby’s. I got in the passenger seat, giggling, while Sans tried to squeeze into my rather small car.

            He shot me a look, smirking as he moved the seat back, before squeezing into the car. With his large size, the top of his skull barely brushed against the ceiling of the car, legs hitting against the steering wheel. He tapped his fingers on the windowpane, making a light clicking noise.

            “This isn’t gonna work, Bruises,” he chuckled.

            We got out of the car. I walked to Sans.

            “Well, what are we gonna do?” I asked.

            Sans smirked, eyes glistening.

            “You trust me, right, Bruises?”

            “Yeah, of course, Sans.”

            “Grab onto me.”

            I was taken aback by the request. Gulping, I stepped toward him, grabbing ahold of his coat. He towered over me, arms wrapping around my waist. He had a tint of blue on his cheekbones.

            “Shut your eyes, and stay calm. It’ll only take a second.”

            With that order, I shut my eyes. The ground fell from my feet. Abruptly, my heart sank, and I clutched onto Sans tighter. My breath got caught in my throat, and I felt lighter than air, as if I was floating. The ground returned to my feet, and I was able to breathe again. I clutched onto Sans, regaining my balance and my breath.

            Sans chuckled.

            “You can open your eyes now, Kid.”

            I opened my eyes, looking up at Sans. He was smirking, the blue on his cheeks a shade darker. I awkwardly pulled away from him, looking up at the building we stood by. My eyes widened upon seeing the sign “Grillby’s”. My mind reeled.

            How in the hell had we gotten here so quickly, and what did Sans do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will hopefully have another chapter or two up later today! Thanks for reading!


	7. Houdini

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That stunned the skeleton into silence, and he stared at me in shock. Grillby snorted, hearing my last statement, though trying to pretend not to. It was clear that him and Sans were good friends from before, and he was obviously impressed at seeing the skeleton so shocked. I smirked at myself triumphantly, beginning to eat.

Sans stubbornly ignored all my frantic questions, guiding me into the restaurant. I continued babbling out questions, the skeleton holding onto my upper arm to guide me to the bar. We sat down on the stools, and I stopped nagging him with my questions, looking around the restaurant.

            Many monsters sat around the restaurant, being helped by waiters and waitresses. Occasionally, I would catch sight of a human or two, but not often. Behind the counter, stood a tall fire elemental, cleaning out a shot glass with a clean rag. I was stunned by the many different types of monsters. Yet, there was one thing I took note of. Every monster I had seen so far had a family, there were more like them. Not identical, but nearly the same.

           _All except for the skeletons_.

            I’d seen many different types of monsters, whether it was at work, on the TV, or just in general. Yet, I suddenly recalled that Sans and Papyrus were the only two skeletons I’d ever come across. There were no other skeletons, which might have been why I was so taken aback by their original entrance in the diner.

            “Somethin’ on your mind, Kid?”

            Sans voice ripped through my thoughts. I blinked, looking at him, before nodding. He chuckled, pupils dilating slightly. He sensed the lie, but didn’t question it. Thank God.

            “Grillbz makes the best fries…and burgers…” He chuckled. “He also has the best ketchup.”

            The fire elemental let out a chuckle, and I was sure that if he had eyes, he’d be rolling them. I could feel the heat radiating off him. It wasn’t like normal fire. It was…nice… Like standing beside a campfire on a cold winter night. It was comforting, in fact.

            “I wouldn’t exactly say that I make the best fries or burgers, but I try my best,” Grillby stated, voice deep, but not nearly as baritone as Sans’.

            I giggled while the skeleton shrugged, smirk never fading.

            “I’ll take the usual, Grillbz. What do you want, Bruises?” Sans looked at me.

            I shrugged, looking at the menu, which was neatly written on a board on the wall behind Grillby. I examined it for a moment, before shrugging, smiling.

            “I guess I’ll take a burger,” I said nonchalantly.

            Grillby nodded, not bothering to write the orders, before heading to the back. Sans leaned forward, arms resting on the white marble counter. He smiled at me.

            “Ya know, Kid, you fit in with us monsters pretty well,” he stated nonchalantly.

            I blinked at his words, confused as to what he could have meant. He must have noticed my confusion, because he continued.

            “You don’t treat us differently, like most humans do.”

            I shrugged, glancing at the monsters around us.

            “There’s no point,” I stated, “you guys deserve to be up here as much as us humans do. Just because we all look different, it doesn’t mean we should treat each other differently.”

            It was true. I never saw any purpose in starting a new war over something as silly as species or appearance differences. It was the same with any human. Just because our skin color differed, it didn’t mean I would treat you any differently than any other person.

            Sans seemed a bit stunned by my words, and for a moment I thought I’d said something wrong. After a moment, I realized that he wasn’t offended, he was impressed. Then, he straightened, a taunting smirk twitching at his mouth, followed by the mischievous glistening in his eyes.

            “What about a skeleton?” He prompted. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that Papyrus and I are the only skeletons.”

            I crossed my arms, huffing, while Grillby returned with our food. I was almost offended by the questions, because to me, the answer was obvious.

            “If I was going to treat you and Papyrus any differently because you consist of bones and magic instead of skin and organs, then I wouldn’t be sitting here at lunch with you.”

            That stunned the skeleton into silence, and he stared at me in shock. Grillby snorted, hearing my last statement, though trying to pretend not to. It was clear that him and Sans were good friends from before, and he was obviously impressed at seeing the skeleton so shocked. I smirked at myself triumphantly, beginning to eat.

 

* * *

 

 

**_Sans~_ **

Of course he was shocked. Why wouldn’t he be shocked? It wasn’t very often that many people didn’t send Papyrus and himself odd looks for their appearances. This included monsters and humans, both of which found skeletons themselves odd.

            Papyrus was oblivious, of course. And Sans didn’t have the heart or the need to point it out to his brother. But Sans knew. Of course he knew. He was by far one of the most observant people in the underground. He knew when a monster would look at him or Pap weird. He could see the look in their expression. The slight disapproval, the confusion, the discomfort.

            Even amongst other monsters, he knew it was hard for them to understand a skeleton. Amongst a sea of bones, all other monsters, and obviously humans, they didn’t quite understand skeletons. Nor could skeletons necessarily reproduce with other skeletons due to them being…skeletons. This led into both Sans and his brother being lab rats, and the only skeletons to leave the underground. Sans knew this, but never revealed this to Papyrus.

            So those words coming from a human, let alone a human woman, he couldn’t help but be shocked. She said it so easily, not a hint of a lie in her voice or her confident gaze. She was being absolutely honest, no hesitation or fault. He was, to say the least, absolutely impressed.

            Snapping out of his shock, he looked down at the food that Grillby had placed in front of him. He’d lost his appetite.

            “Man, I’m a- _fried_ I’m no longer hungry.” He piped up.

            Rory looked at him, tilting her head a bit. He smirked, reaching up and wiping off a speck of ketchup from her upper lip. He watched her cheeks redden with embarrassment.

            “Don’t worry ‘bout it, Kid.” He chuckled.

            Rory rolled her eyes, looking away. She finished her burger soon after, prepared to pull out her wallet. Before she could, Sans grabbed her arm.

            “Put it all on my tab, Grillbz. I’ll _ketchup_ with ya later.”

            Sans teleported them away before Bruises could protest, now standing outside her car. She stumbled, squeaking. He caught her before she fell, chuckling. He felt a bit guilty. Sometimes he forgot how sensitive humans were to monster magic, especially magic involving teleportation through detentions.

            ‘Real smooth, Sans…’ He thought.

            Rory hit his arm, though it didn’t affect him. She clearly regretted it afterward, misjudging the fact that he was made of bone, and she was not. She rubbed her knuckles, pouting.

            “Thanks for the warning, Houdini,” she mumbled sarcastically.

            Sans blinked at the new nickname, looking at her. He raised a ‘brow’, or what could be considered as one.

            “Who the hell is Houdini?”

            Rory almost looked offended, pouting.

            “We’re really going to need to educate you, Sans.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when Author-Chan listens to Houdini by Foster The People whilst writing. It does seem to fit Sans, though, does it not?


	8. Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This will hopefully be the only author's note in this book.

Hey, everyone! I wanted to apologize for my lack of updating. I just haven't had any time to put up any updates, due to school, family, work, and many other things. I've really got a lot going on, and I've hardly had any time to update. I wanted to give you all the apology you deserve. I don't know when I'll have time to update again, but when I do, I'll make sure to update as many times as I can, and get back onto a usual schedule.

Also, I wanted to give a huge thanks to everyone who's sticking with me and supporting me in this story. I've already had a ton of fun with the chapters I've written so far! Sorry again for the inconvenience and I will probably be back to updating soon!

~Author-Chan Comett


	9. Escaped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skelepun | 12:04 P.M. – why did the skeleton go to prom by himself?
> 
> Me | 12:05 P.M. – I dunno, why
> 
> Skelepun | 12:06 P.M. – because he had nobody to go with.

After our hang out, Sans and I were constantly texting. Even at work, I made sure to spend a few seconds to dare a text to Sans. Over the course of a few weeks, him and Papyrus constantly came into the café, soon becoming regular customers. I even spared a few texts while Sans was here, making Sans give me an odd look from across the diner.

Skelepun | 12:04 P.M. – why did the skeleton go to prom by himself?

Me | 12:05 P.M. – I dunno, why

Skelepun | 12:06 P.M. – because he had no _body_ to go with.

            The skeleton sent me a smirk from across the diner, while I snorted with laughter, trying to contain it. Customers gave me odd looks, so I simply shot them an innocent smile, rushing back to the kitchen to avoid any further embarrassment.

            Trust me, it had happened before. Not an experience I’d like to relive, though I was half-certain that it would happen eventually.

Skelepun | 12:10 P.M. – skeletons are getting _bonley_ out here, sweetheart

            I giggled, staring at the text. I felt like a teenage girl back in high school. Rolling my eyes at the nickname, I looked up as Gabby was staring at me with an odd look.

            “Who are you texting, Giggles?” She questioned.

            I smiled, shrugging teasingly. I returned the phone to my pocket, leaving the kitchen as the bell went off once more. My giddiness faded the moment I saw Heath. I straightened my back, walking to him slowly. I planted a small kiss on his cheek.

            “H-Hey, Heath.” I smiled.

            My boyfriend did not return the smile, eyes already focused on the two skeletons.

            “SANS, WHY IS THAT HUMAN STARING AT US?” Papyrus questioned loudly, his innocence shining.

            Sans looked up from his phone, looking at Heath. The pupils in his sockets dimmed slightly, and I saw him straighten. I gulped, tension filling the air. I grabbed Heath’s arm, looking up at him pleadingly.

            “There’s no need to start a fight…” I said.

            “Tch.”

            Heath shoved me off him, and I stumbled slightly, nearly falling onto the table behind me. I quickly babbled apologies to the customers, before rushing to Heath, who was stomping toward Sans and Papyrus’ table, fists clenched. Neither skeleton moved, both staring at Heath. Papyrus looked nervous, while Sans kept his calm composure.

            “What the hell are two freaks like you doing here?” Heath shouted.

            By now, he’d caught the attention of every customer, including Gabby who was now peeking out of the kitchen to watch the scene. I rushed to Heath, grabbing his arm to pull him away.

            “H-Heath, stop it! Leave them alone!”

            He shoved me back once more, and this time I really had fallen. Expecting to hit the ground, I felt hard fingers wrap around my wrist and pull me to my feet. My eyes widened and I looked at Sans, who’d been the one to catch me.

            Heath growled, grabbing Sans’ arm, forcing him to release me. He twisted it behind his back, nearly breaking his arm. Last second, Sans disappeared. He abruptly appeared behind Heath, grabbing the back of his shirt, slamming him front-first against the table. My eyes were wide, and we all had gone silent, other than Heath who was screaming curses, struggling to get out of Sans’ grip.

            Sans’ left eye glowed a brilliant blue, and he suddenly looked so much larger. He leaned to Heath’s ear, whispering something inaudible to the rest of us, and made Heath stiffen. Sans released him after a moment, looking at me. Heath straightened, growling. His eyes narrowed at me, and he opened his mouth to speak.

            I spoke first, the words spilling from my mouth before I knew it.

            “I’m breaking up with you, Heath.”

            My eyes widened at my words, as did his. His fists clenched, and I saw the momentary rage that flashed through his eyes, veins showing on is arms as he clearly tried not to hit me in front of so many people.

            I felt a hand on my shoulder, Sans standing close to me to keep Heath from hitting me. I gathered my courage, feeling safe being so close to Sans. I knew he wouldn’t let Heath lay a finger on me.

            “We’re through, Heath…”

            He growled, clenching his fists, before shouting curses and stomping out. My shoulders slumped, and I breathed out a shaky sigh that I’d been holding in.            Sans looked at me, giving me a comforting smile. He towered over my short form, making me shrink back slightly in response.

            “W-Well… Now I have nowhere to live… A-And all my stuff is still at his place…” I murmured.

            Sans glanced at Papyrus, who was still silent from shock. He looked back at me, pupils dilating slightly. His grip tightened on my shoulder.

            “I know you don’t know us well, but you’re always welcome to come live with us until you get a place of your own.” Sans offered.

            I stared at him, eyes widening. He was offering me a home? The offer snapped Papyrus from his daze, and the giant skeleton jolted up from his seat, grinning. He clapped his hands loudly.

            “WHAT AN EXCELLENT IDEA, SANS! RORY WOULD MAKE A FANTASIC ADDITION TO OUR HOME!”

            I couldn’t help but smile. To my surprise, and theirs too, tears pooled in my eyes. I wasn’t sad. How could I be? I was just… so grateful… I’d met these two skeletons just a few weeks ago, and I was already being offered a place in their home. Even after my boyfriend had tried to start a fight…ex-boyfriend… Then, these two skeletons gave me so much confidence. Not only in myself, but in them too.

            The two skeletons fumbled to comfort me, clearly having no idea what to do. I giggled, wiping my tears and looking at the two with a smile.

            “I would love to stay with you guys,” I said happily.

            They slumped in relief, smiling. Sans winked, his usual smile wider than usual. I hugged the two quickly, before getting back to work. The rest of that day I was in a much better mood than in a long time.

            ‘I knew I could get away eventually…’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thank you all for your patience with me and this story! I'm so grateful, and I'll hopefully be back to a regular updating schedule! I've just been really busy lately, and I'm hopefully getting it together finally! I'll try to have more chapters up later tonight! :)


	10. Bad Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We entered the house, and I instantly was engulfed in the comfort of the skeleton’s house. It was much more homey without so many other monsters piled in. I noted more things about the house that I hadn’t paid mind to the first time I was here, such as the smell. The house smelled faintly like cinnamon, with a small vanilla-lavender smell to it, along with the faint remanence of spaghetti and ketchup. It was actually a nice smell, something I could get used to.

            The skeletons kindly waited until I’d finished with my shift, before walking me to their house. Papyrus happily babbled on about how much spaghetti he’d cook for me, and how great it would be to live with them. He was skipping far ahead of Sans and myself, mostly babbling to himself. Sans and I watched with a smile.

            We would have driven…but…both skeletons were much too large to fit in my car. Sans could barely fit, so we didn’t even bother trying to fit both skeletons in.

            “I’m glad you’re out of that place, Rory.”

            Sans was looking at me. I looked at him. With a small sigh, I nodded.

            “Yeah…me too… It’ll just be weird without him. I’ve lived with him for two years…”

            “I understand,” Sans then smiled, “but Papy and I will make it easier for you to settle in. You don’t need him. We’ll take care of you.”

            His words made my heart flutter, and brought a grin to my face. It felt like it had been forever since I’d heard anything like that. The skeletons were just so…caring. More so than anyone I’d met. Then again, most monsters I knew were open and caring. Humans were just harsh and selfish. At least, in my experience.

            “Thank you, Sans.” I smiled.

            We walked in a comfortable silence from that moment on, though we occasionally shared a few puns, making sure Papyrus didn’t hear and complain. After a short walk, we finally reached their cozy house. The driveway was no longer piled with cars, making the house look a little bigger from the outside.

           

            The skeletons kindly waited until I’d finished with my shift, before walking me to their house. Papyrus happily babbled on about how much spaghetti he’d cook for me, and how great it would be to live with them. He was skipping far ahead of Sans and myself, mostly babbling to himself. Sans and I watched with a smile.

            We would have driven…but…both skeletons were much too large to fit in my car. Sans could barely fit, so we didn’t even bother trying to fit both skeletons in.

            “I’m glad you’re out of that place, Rory.”

            Sans was looking at me. I looked at him. With a small sigh, I nodded.

            “Yeah…me too… It’ll just be weird without him. I’ve lived with him for two years…”

            “I understand,” Sans then smiled, “but Papy and I will make it easier for you to settle in. You don’t need him. We’ll take care of you.”

            His words made my heart flutter, and brought a grin to my face. It felt like it had been forever since I’d heard anything like that. The skeletons were just so…caring. More so than anyone I’d met. Then again, most monsters I knew were open and caring. Humans were just harsh and selfish. At least, in my experience.

            “Thank you, Sans.” I smiled.

            We walked in a comfortable silence from that moment on, though we occasionally shared a few puns, making sure Papyrus didn’t hear and complain. After a short walk, we finally reached their cozy house. The driveway was no longer piled with cars, making the house look a little bigger from the outside.

            We entered the house, and I instantly was engulfed in the comfort of the skeleton’s house. It was much more homey without so many other monsters piled in. I noted more things about the house that I hadn’t paid mind to the first time I was here, such as the smell. The house smelled faintly like cinnamon, with a small vanilla-lavender smell to it, along with the faint remanence of spaghetti and ketchup. It was actually a nice smell, something I could get used to.

            Another thing I noted was how clean the house was. It was very well taken care of, which I assumed was mostly Papyrus’ doing. There were a few of what was most likely Sans’ socks scattered here and there. But, for the most part, the house was very clean.

            “WE HAVE A SPARE BEDROOM UPSTAIRS, SMALL HUMAN! IT SHALL NOW BE YOUR ROOM! IT IS RIGHT IN BETWEEN SANS AND MY ROOMS!”

            Papyrus grabbed my arm, and I yelped as he yanked me up the stairs, stopping outside a blank door. He shoved it open, revealing a very clean, obviously unused bedroom. It wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small either. I didn’t care. I was thankful for simply having a roof over my head.

There wasn’t much in the room. A bed, obviously. There was also a dresser, along with a small nightstand beside the bed. There was a closet on the far side of the room, currently empty. The walls were painted a soft blue color, with one accent wall that was a light grey. The floor was carpeted with a soft carpet.

“No one uses this room, so it’s all yours. You can do whatever you want with it,” Sans’ voice piped up from behind me.

I squeaked slightly, surprised by his sudden appearance. Damn, he really was Houdini. Sans shot me a sly smirk.

“YES HUMAN, YOU MAY DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE WITH THIS ROOM!”

I giggled at Papyrus’ confirmation, nodding.

“Thank you both, so much.”

“IT IS NO PROBLEM, RORY!”

“Anytime, Kid.”

I looked back into the room, realizing my things were still at Heath’s place. I’d either have to go back and get it all, or simply buy new things. Sadly, I didn’t have the money to simply go buy new things. That, and some of my things were from my family. And I knew Heath didn’t throw anything out. He probably expected me to go crawling back to him. Well, he was wrong. This was it.

“I have to go to Heath’s place to grab my things,” I sighed.

“I’ll come too,” Sans instantly put in.

I blinked, surprised by the offer. Before I could protest, Papyrus piped up.

“I SHALL COME TOO!”

“No, Pap. You stay here. We’ll be back soon,” Sans stated protectively.

Without giving Papyrus or myself time to argue, he grabbed my arm, teleporting the two of us out of the house until we were standing by their front door. He didn’t know where I lived, which made it understandable as to why he couldn’t teleport to Heath’s place. With a shaky sigh, I began the walk to my house.

“I’ll protect you,” Sans piped up after a while of silence.

I looked at him.

“I don’t want you to get hurt, Sans.”

“Tch, me? I’ve been through worse than a punch to the face by some pathetic human.”

I had a feeling that there was more to that comment than a simple joke. Something told me that it had something to do with Frisk…

We reached the house, and I shakily lifted a hand, knocking on the door. A moment later, Heath opened the door. His eyes narrowed toward me, before snapping toward Sans.

“What the fuck do you want?” He spat.

I shivered, suddenly losing all courage I previously had. His glare nearly made me go crawling back to him, not willing to face his wrath. Sans spoke up for me, the simple sound of his baritone voice making me feel much better.

“We’re here to get her things.”

Heath growled, shooting me a glare that made me sink back. I heard Sans growl in response, both men sharing a look. After a moment, Heath stepped aside, allowing the two of us into the house. I shakily stepped inside, Sans on my heels.

            In silence, I sauntered past my ex-boyfriend, to my bedroom. Sans and I began packing my things. I made sure Sans didn’t pack anything…personal, doing all that myself. We got all my clothes and my most important items. The rest of it I could care less about. After getting it packed, I carefully began walking out of the house.

            Walking past Heath, I let out a loud yelp as his hand came in harsh contact with my behind. I dropped the bag I was carrying, eyes wide as I looked at Heath. The next thing I knew, Heath was being pinned against the wall by Sans. Sans’ pupils had completely gone black.

            “d o n t l a y a f i n g e r o n R o r y o r y o u l l h a v e a b a d t i m e. . .”

            The room went cold, and for the first time since I’d been with Heath, I saw fear spread across his face. Sans growled, neither of them moving for a few moments. Sans stepped back, releasing Heath. His arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me against the side of his ribcage. His arm shook with what was obviously anger.

            “C-Come on, Sans… It’s okay…”

            I somehow knew that he wanted to leave before he hurt Heath. As in, the reason his arm wrapped around my shoulders was to keep himself from punching my ex-boyfriend and starting more problems. Holding all my bags, Sans quickly teleported the two of us out and into the middle of his living room.

            Sans’ arm slipped from my shoulders, and his head lowered. He dropped my bags. The air moved, and within seconds, the skeleton was gone.


	11. Messes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It finally occurred to me that this usually composed, kind, caring, and tough skeleton was broken underneath. He’d been through something traumatic. I could tell. . . Especially by the large indent in his bones that stretched from his upper right shoulder, across his ribs and sternum, to the lower left side of his ribcage. It was like a scar, with jagged edges that ruined the smoothness of his bone. It almost looked as if it had been run through multiple times. . .

        I wasn’t sure why Sans hid away that night. He’d gone to his room and hid away from me. No matter how much I knocked, begged, etc., Sans wouldn’t come out of his room. He simply told me to “go away” and assured me that he was “fine”. I knew otherwise. Even Papyrus had fallen victim to his brother’s lies, trying to convince me that Sans was fine.

            After a while, I was forced into trying to pick the lock on Sans’ door, determined to make sure the skeleton was alright. Yes, I was being childish. I knew I was. But, as Sans’ friend, I was determined to make sure he was alright. I knew he’d do the same for me. I just knew it…

            I slowly pushed the door open, peeking into the room. The room was dark, and I wouldn’t have been able to see anything had there not been a faint blue glow emitting from the skeleton curled up on the bed. He had his hands over his face, the blow glow resonating from between his fingers. He wasn’t wearing his shirt, revealing the vast amount of bones that was often hidden beneath his jacket and his shirt.

            It finally occurred to me that this usually composed, kind, caring, and tough skeleton was broken underneath. He’d been through something traumatic. I could tell. . . Especially by the large indent in his bones that stretched from his upper right shoulder, across his ribcage and sternum, to the lower left side of his ribcage. It was like a scar, with jagged edges that ruined the smoothness of his bone. It almost looked as if it had been run through multiple times. . .

            I gulped, kicking the door shut behind me lightly. The soft click made Sans stiffen. His head raised. His left eye glowed the same brilliant blue as earlier in the café. To my surprise, blue tears (obviously magic) were streaming down his cheekbones. His mouth opened in surprise, and he quickly scrambled to grab his jacket.

            “S-Sans, please don’t hide from me.”

            My voice made him pause. He gulped, looking at me. I could hear the soft rattle of his bones as he shook, clearly not used to being so exposed to anyone. He looked…vulnerable… Seeing such a previously strong and giant monster looking so weak in this moment, especially someone like Sans, it made my heart burn.

            I walked to him, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him close to me. His body stiffened, before his arms shakily wrapped around my waist. They tightened, and his head rested on my shoulder.

            And, he cried.

            I held him as he cried, trying to comfort him. Clearly, he’d never had anything like this. I knew, just by the way he acted and by his personality, that he never opened himself up like this. He never allowed himself to be weak and vulnerable. He never let anyone close enough to help him.

            I could almost relate to that.

            After a long while, Sans finally calmed down. I traced his spine gently, not at all disturbed by the many bones that were pressed so close to me. Sans shivered, pulling away. He looked at me. I sent him a soft smile, reaching up and wiping the tears from his cheekbones. He leaned into my touch, and I was certain that he didn’t even realize what he was doing.

            I looked at the large indent in his bones, my other hand tracing it lightly. His hand shot up, grabbing my wrist abruptly. I stiffened, afraid I’d gone too far. Sans gulped, slowly releasing my wrist.

            “T-Thank you, Rory.”

            He pressed the back of my hand, guiding it so my palm was pressed against his imperfect sternum. He sighed, looking down at me. I suddenly felt small, being so close to the large skeleton. Yet, I wasn’t scared. Not for a moment.

            “Of course, Sans…”

            Sans licked his teeth with his cyan tongue. He stared at my hand, occasionally glancing at my face. I was confused for a moment, before realizing. He expected me to pull away out of disgust. I sighed, placing my other hand over his ribcage, proving to him that I wouldn’t run away just because he was made of bones.

            “Why were you crying, Sans?” I murmured.

            Sans sighed, averting his gaze. He didn’t want to answer, clearly. I sighed, deciding not to push.

            “It’s okay to not be okay, Sans,” I murmured, “you don’t always have to hold up that wall. It’s okay to let it break down sometimes and let someone in. Holding back all your feelings… It’ll just hurt you more.”

            We fell into an awkward silence. I slowly lowered my hands from his bones, resting them on my lap. After a while of silence, Sans finally broke it, his broken, baritone voice filling it.

            “I watched everyone around me die…” He whispered. “I watched everyone die, over and over again. I watched myself die…”

            His hand traced the deep gash in his bones. Every crack in his voice was filled with pain. I didn’t know what he meant, but I still listened to every word, not interrupting.

            “Frisk had the power to reset timelines… To reset the realities. It wasn’t…her… who killed them. It was some freak inside her. Chara. This freak made her kill. Kill, kill, kill… It killed me, then reset. The last reset was what led us all to this reality, where we finally made it to the surface. Frisk can no longer reset. She lost that power once the barrier broke. No one else remembers the resets…”

            Sans covered his face once more.

            “Everyone but me… Fuck, why was I stuck with this? I don’t want to remember anymore… I don’t want to remember any of it… All the times I failed to protect my brother and my friends.”

            I grabbed his wrists, pulling his hands off his face. I cupped both his cheeks, catching any tears before they fell. I stared into his sockets, my thumbs stroking his soft cheekbones, wiping away any new tears.

            “I don’t know what happened, Sans… But I’m almost certain that you did everything you could. You still are. Look at how happy your brother is, Sans. He loves you, and he will never look at you as any type of a failure. Neither will I, Sans. You saved me, don’t you get that? You’re strong, especially after everything you’ve been through.”

            Sans stared at me in silence. Finally, he sighed, choking out a small chuckle. He wrapped his arms around me, tightly pulling me against his ribcage.

            “I really am one hell of a mess, huh?”

            I smiled slightly, hugging him back.

            “It’s okay to be a mess, Sans. I’m one too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little glitch in the last chapter! I have no idea how that happened! XDD I'm sure it was Flowey hacking into my laptop. That's the only explanation! Also, I understand that it is a Sunday (for me, anyway), and I don't update on Sundays. But I wasn't busy today, and I wanted to make up for the lack of updates from before. So here's this short chapter for you guys to enjoy!


	12. Twenty-One Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I stared at him, seeing a small amount of pain in his features. I hated that someone had clearly once turned Sans down for being what he was. He could never control that he was a skeleton. I couldn’t help but think about how I would never do that to him. I would like him for everything he was. His personality, his boney features. I could care less that he was a skeleton. He had a heart of gold, and that was all I needed.

            After that night, Sans and I were closer than ever. We talked about pretty much everything, from how our days went, to our previous lives before monsters were freed. Gradually, Sans became my best friend, and I wouldn’t hardly count on anyone else to tell these things to.

            Currently, the skeleton and I were sitting on the living room couch, watching an old Disney move. Neither of us were focused on the movie, talking about random things. Papyrus had already gone to bed, so we had no other interruptions.

            “Twenty-one questions?” Sans asked, chuckling.

            I smiled, shrugging. I turned to him, raising a brow.

            “Ask away.”

            Sans smirked, nodding. He thought for a moment, before perking up.

            “Ever had sex?”

            I snorted at the abrupt question, quickly looking away. My cheeks flushed, and I crossed my arms, embarrassed.

            “No. I never gave that to Heath, or anyone. How about you?”

            Now it was Sans’ turn to blush. He shrugged, cheekbones turning a soft blue. He tugged at his sleeves, clearly embarrassed by the question.

            “Yes, I have. Moving on…”

            We asked random questions. Nothing too personal for the most part. It was more of just a fun game between the two of us. Just our way of learning more about each other. After a while, things got a little more serious.

            “Ever had a girlfriend?” I asked.

            I leaned my head on his shoulder, playing with his phalanges softly. My legs were stretched across his lap. He rubbed my calves lightly. Once I asked the question, he paused for a moment. Then, he bit his lip.

            “No. Most people, even monsters, could never really accept me. It’s hard for people to accept us skeletons… That’s why… That’s why I don’t encourage romance for Papyrus. He’d be heartbroken if someone told him they would never date him for being a skeleton.”

            I stared at him, seeing a small amount of pain in his features. I hated that someone had clearly once turned Sans down for being what he was. He could never control that he was a skeleton.  I couldn’t help but think about how I would never do that to him. I would like him for everything he was. His personality, his boney features. I could care less that he was a skeleton. He had a heart of gold, and that was all I needed.

            “Who told you they wouldn’t go out you because you’re a skeleton?”

            Sans sighed, staring at my legs. He tugged at his sleeves.

            “I used to have a major crush on Toriel,” he began, “and she hadn’t been trying to be rude or offensive. It’s just… She wasn’t interested. I remember asking her on a date when we’d first come to the surface. She didn’t even think about it. It was an instant, “I’m sorry Sans, but I’m not interested.””

            Sans sighed, shrugging.

            “It was a no because of me being a skeleton. She probably wanted someone with actual skin instead of just bones. That, and I’m a bit younger than her. Not by much of course, but still younger. I’m twenty-five, but apparently a three-year difference is awkward for her.”

            Sans shrugged, looking at me. He blinked, pulling his hand away from my legs as a realization dawned on him.

            “How old are you, anyway?”

            I blinked, before shrugging. Compared to him, I suddenly felt like a child. It wasn’t like I was that much younger than him, but just comparing our body sizes and the small age difference, I still felt like a kid.

            “Twenty-one.”

            Sans nodded, no longer seeming as awkward. He replaced his hand on my leg. My gaze went to his touch. This thumbs lightly stroked my shins, his gaze focused on my legs. After a moment, he smirked. He wrapped his hands around my calves, raising a brow bone and looking at me.

            “You’re tiny.”

            I huffed, blushing. I pushed his shoulder lightly.

            “Shut up.”

            We both laughed and he let go of my legs. We fell into a comfortable silence, looking at the TV. It wasn’t long before I was falling asleep. The Disney movie playing slowly lulled me to sleep. I fell asleep, my head resting on Sans’ shoulder. I felt…warm… and comforted. With Sans protecting me, his thumbs rubbing my shins helping to guide me to sleep.

 

            I woke up feeling warm. I groaned slightly at the sunlight that hit my eyes, turning away from it to go back to sleep. I stiffened, feeling the two arms that were wrapped around my waist tighten. How had I not noticed those before?

            I slowly opened one eye, looking at the person who was holding me. Sans was fast asleep, holding me against his chest. He twitched occasionally, letting out a raspy breath or the occasional mumble. I felt my cheeks go bright red, staring at his face. It was odd to see a skeleton with the sockets closed, but it wasn’t…ugly… He and Papyrus were so animated. They pulled it off, making themselves cuter than they already were.

            Though, I couldn’t help but be more attracted to Sans. He was just so mischievous. Not only was he that, but he was loyal. He was protective, and would never let anyone harm those he cares about. Not after everything he’d been through.

            I paused, remembering the situation I was currently in. I gulped, squirming slightly. Why was I thinking about my best friend like that? I needed to stop… Groaning quietly, I tried to squirm my way out of his hold. It only tightened, and his face nuzzled against my neck. I shivered, biting my lip. If I moved at this point, then I’d end up waking the skele, and I wasn’t sure how kindly the lazy skeleton would take to being woken up.

            Biting my lip, I glanced toward the kitchen, where Papyrus was loudly singing as he made what I assumed was breakfast. I wasn’t sure how his “amazing” singing hadn’t woken me up before the sunlight did.

            This small turn of my head caused Sans to groan, opening his eyes. Our eyes met. Within an instant, a blush had spread across our whole faces. Sans let out a weird squeak sound, jumping off the couch. Having just woken up, his legs gave out from beneath him, and he went crashing to the ground. Just as I rushed to help the skeleton, he disappeared.

            I blinked, before a grin spread across my face and I was laughing. The last thing I recalled seeing on him before he’d disappeared was his bright blue skull.


	13. Cell-viving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The line went dead, and I was instantly rushing to Papyrus’ room, heart thudding. Sans wouldn’t do that. He would never intentionally start a fight. Besides, what the hell was he doing out so late? I began to grow worried, tearing into Papyrus’ room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pun of this chapter will make so much more sense toward the end XDD Sorry for the filler chapter, and sorry for it being a day late! Enjoy!

            Monsters didn’t have nearly the same amount of rights as humans. They were often blamed for a crime, even if it was a human that had caused it. Not only that, but they’re problems didn’t concern the government. Often times, monsters would receive no help from the police if they had a problem.

            So when I was awoken early Friday morning with a phone call from Toriel, I instantly knew something was wrong. I sat up from my bed, rubbing my eyes as I picked up the phone.

            “Miss Rory!” Toriel said into the phone quickly.

            I blinked.

            “Toriel? Is everything okay?”

            “No! Sans has been arrested!”

            “W-What!” I jolted up, beginning to get dressed.

            “Sans was arrested for apparently starting a fight on the street and injuring a human! This has to be a false accusation! Sans would never do such a thing! I shall be there soon with the others, please wake Papyrus and tell him!”

            The line went dead, and I was instantly rushing to Papyrus’ room, heart thudding. Sans wouldn’t do that. He would never intentionally start a fight. Besides, what the hell was he doing out so late? I began to grow worried, tearing into Papyrus’ room.

            “Papy, wake up…” I murmured.

            The large skeleton slowly woke up, groaning. The white pupils of his sockets slowly opened.

            “Rory? Is everything alright, Human?”

            I bit my lip, wondering how Papyrus would react to his older brother being arrested. For a moment, I was almost afraid that he would think his brother did something bad. But, after a moment, I realized this wasn’t true. Papyrus wasn’t stupid. He knew his brother better than anyone else. He would know that Sans didn’t do anything. At least not intentionally.

            “Sans was arrested. We don’t know the whole story, but Toriel is coming to pick us up. I think we’re heading to the police station.”

            Within the time span of fifteen minutes from waking up, our group of monsters, plus two humans, we rushing to the police station. We were all worried about Sans. He was close to all of us.

            We rushed into the station, Frisk and myself going in first. A group of monsters rushing into the police station was a bit suspicious. I placed my hands on the counter, looking at the officer behind the front desk.

            “We’re here to see Sans.”

            The man looked at the monsters behind me, frowning. He hesitated.

            “Sorry, but I’m not supposed to let any monsters see him.”

            I looked back at everyone apologetically, biting my lip. I turned back to him, a pleading look in my eyes.

            “Please, sir. He’s family to all of us.”

            “I’m sorry, ma’am. I can only allow you and the kid through.”

            Toriel stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. She sent me a warm smile, nodding to me.

            “It’s okay, Rory. You go see him, we’ll wait out here.”

            “I-I want to stay here with M-Mom and Dad…” Frisk murmured, grabbing Toriel’s hand.

            So, I ended up following the officer to Sans’ cell. My heart sped up a little when I found him sitting in the cell, handcuffed. He had dark marks on his face, which I assumed were his way of bruising. His pupils were a bit dull, posture slumped.

            Seeing him like this, I realized that whoever had picked a fight with him probably regretted it soon after. He was huge, and I could even see the slight nervousness in the officer’s eyes as he opened the cell.

            Sans looked up, pupils landing on me. He straightened up.

            “R-Rory,” he stuttered out.

            I sighed, entering the cell. I sat down beside him, placing a hand on his leg.

            “Sans, what happened?” I murmured.

            Sans sighed, looking down at my hand. He shrugged.

            “Got in a fight.”

            Just from the sound of his voice, I could tell that there was more to that story. I narrowed my eyes slightly, looking at him. I cupped his chin, forcing him to look up at me. His pupils dilated as he realized I knew he wasn’t telling the full story. After a moment, he gave in.

            “With that Heath guy. Him and a bunch of guys ambushed me and started a fight. Of course, I fought back to defend myself. The moment I landed a punch, one of his buddies called the police. Now, here I am.”

            I felt guilt sink in my stomach, but also anger.

            “Of course you got blamed… I’m sorry, Sans.”

            “Nah, don’t worry about it, kid. I’ll _cell_ -vive another day.” He smirked.

            “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

            We both stood up. Sans chuckled a bit.

            “I could have left whenever I wanted.” He whispered.

            “Yeah, but you don’t want to get in anymore trouble.”

            We left the cell, the officer unlocking Sans’ cuffs. He rubbed his wrists, sighing. Toriel and Asgore paid the fee, and we left. Sans, Papyrus, Frisk, and I stuffed ourselves into the back of Toriel and Asgore’s car, practically pressed together.

            Nobody else questioned Sans. Not even Papyrus. I almost didn’t understand why, before I realized. They trusted him. They trusted that he did nothing wrong, so they saw no point in questioning it. It was a good relationship they had. I was almost envious of it…

            I questioned Sans. He probably assumed that I didn’t trust him.

            The Dreemur’s dropped us off at our place, with a kind goodbye. Not long after, I’d received a call from Alphys and Undyne, asking to make sure that Sans was okay. I told them the short story of it, and they were soon relieved.

            “Oh, yeah! That reminds me!” Undyne announced loudly, “you wanna come with Alphys and I to a movie tomorrow! Don’t worry, we won’t third wheel ya! You can even invite your Gabby friend!” She said.

            I could practically hear the grin in her voice. I smiled.

            “Sure, we’d love to. I’ll talk to Gabby in the morning.”

            With a quick goodbye, we let each other go. Sans was already fast asleep on the couch, while Papyrus was heading back up to his room to go back to sleep. Deciding to do the same, I headed upstairs to my room. I collapsed on the bed, instantly falling asleep.


	14. What Happens in the Void, Stays in the Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not long after he’d agreed to go, we were wedged in Undyne and Alphys’ car, me forced to sit on the poor skeleton’s lap. He could barely fit due to his giant size. His skull brushed against the ceiling of the car, legs stretched across the three back seats. I was sitting on his lap. We were both tense and awkward.

            I called Gabby the moment I woke up, inviting her to the movie. Sadly, she was busy. I was confused as to what she would be doing, but tried not to worry about it too much. I had no idea when Undyne or Alphys expected to meet up. I didn’t even know whether or not they were picking me up.

            Assuming they were, I got dressed. It was fairly hot outside, so I put on summer clothes, consisting of shorts and a black crop-top. Along with this, I put on flip-flops and pulled my hair back. Once I was ready, I exited my room, walking downstairs to get some food.

            “Mornin’, Kid,” Sans greeted.

            I stopped, looking at him.

            “Morning, Sans.”

            “Where ya goin’?”

            I plopped on the couch beside him, deciding to simply steal some of the popcorn he was snacking on.

            “Going to a movie with Undyne and Alphys,” I answered.

            Sans nodded.

            “What movie?”

            I shrugged. He snorted, raising a brow bone.

            “You don’t even know?”

            I shook my head.

            “Nope. They just asked me to go, so I agreed. I was going to invite Gabby, but she said she was busy,” I explained, which gave me an idea. “Hey, why don’t you come? It’ll be fun.”

            Sans snorted a bit, looking at me. His pupils dilated slightly, and he had a faint blue tint to his cheeks.

            “You realize this is considered a double date, right?”

            I blushed, fumbling on my next words. Why was the damn guy so blunt about everything?

            “If this is considered a double date, then the first time we went to Grillby’s must have been a regular date,” I shot back, embarrassed.

            Sans shrugged, chuckling. Despite what seemed to be confidence, he looked away from me, skull going bright blue. In embarrassment, he pulled up his hood to hide the blush, but by then I’d already seen it. We both snickered.

            “Yeah, sure, Kid. I’ll tag along,” he finally piped up.

            I had no idea what Sans thought of this. Whether he thought it was a date or not, I didn’t know. But in my mind, the thought of this being a date didn’t seem so bad. I didn’t push the idea on Sans, knowing how fragile he really was beneath all that false confidence.

            Not long after he’d agreed to go, we were wedged in Undyne and Alphys’ car, me forced to sit on the poor skeleton’s lap. He could barely fit due to his giant size. His skull brushed against the ceiling of the car, legs stretched across the three back seats. I was sitting on his lap. We were both tense and awkward.

            “Hold on!!” Undyne announced loudly.

            I yelped as she hit the gas. I grabbed onto Sans’ coat, while his arms quickly wrapped themselves around my waist, acting as a seatbelt, since I couldn’t wear one.

            I was shocked when Undyne hadn’t gotten pulled over by any police. We (surprisingly) made it safely to the movie theater, Sans and I clinging onto each other, eyes wide, while Alphys was just frozen. Sans and I looked at each other, before we were quickly scrambling out of the car. Undyne laughed, grabbing her girlfriend and scrambling out of the car.

            “Come on!”

            I glanced at Sans once again, and he chuckled, shrugging in response, before following Undyne into the building.

            The theater wasn’t too busy, which was nice. I was happy to see a few monster workers, glad that this particular place wasn’t at all racist against hiring monsters. That was probably why Undyne and Alphys had chosen this place.

            We walked to the counter, buying our tickets for some horror movie, which Undyne had clearly chosen to get Alphys scared at crawling all over her. What a doofus… I bought my ticket, and we walked to the food counter to buy all our snacks. There was a human man working it, who grinned at the four of us like any other person, unfazed by the three monsters around me.

            His grin widened when it was my turn to order my food. He leaned on the counter.

            “Hey, what can I get for you, beautiful?” He winked.

            I blushed, smile never fading.

            “Heh… One medium popcorn, please…”

            The man got my popcorn, handing it to me. He made sure his fingers brushed against mine, making me even more flustered than before. I was about to speak up, before a skeletal arm wrapped around my waist, and I was pulled into a familiar ribcage. I looked up at Sans, who’s pupils were much smaller than usual. His grin hadn’t faded, and his gaze never faltered from the man.

            The man became flustered, coughing. His flirtatious actions quickly disappeared, and he bowed his head.

            “Thank you for coming,” he said quickly, urging me to simply pay and go see our movie.

            I paid, following Undyne and Alphys. Sans’ arm hadn’t moved from my waist. I looked up at him, raising a brow.

            “What was that?” I asked.

            Sans shrugged, smirking. He didn’t answer, simply acting nonchalant about the whole situation. Once we were out of sight from the man, his arm slipped away, returning to his hoodie pocket. I blinked.

            Was Sans… jealous?

            This thought was stuck on my mind for quite a while. Though, during the movie, the thought had vanished. Right from the beginning, Alphys was practically clinging onto her girlfriend. Occasionally, even Undyne had jumped, though she’d never admit it. Out of the four of us, Sans had been the only one who hadn’t jumped once. Not even scenes that had made the whole theater scream, including myself.

            I gripped my seat tightly, staring at the screen, mentally urging the stupid woman not to walk to the crashing sound. Of course, like any horror movie, she didn’t listen. I let out a scream as the jump scare came, and I heard Sans chuckle beside me. I looked at him, blushing dark red. He was already looking at me.

            “Scared?” He whispered.

            I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. I pouted. He obviously knew the answer to that.

            “Hold my hand.”

            And I did exactly that, grabbing his skeletal hand and holding onto it tightly. I hoped I didn’t hurt him, but if I had, he didn’t say anything. Feeling his hand in mine, it helped. I squeezed it occasionally, feeling him squeeze mine back carefully. We spared a few glances, and I didn’t realize that I was gradually getting closer to him, not until his arm was around my shoulders, and my head was resting on his ribcage.

            The movie was eventually over, and Sans and I parted, taking his warmth with him. The four of us walked out, Undyne whispering comforting words to a terrified Alphys.

            “Lunch?” Undyne offered after Alphys had calmed down.

            “Nah, Pap will be worrying about us soon. Besides, he’ll throw a fit if we miss a lunch without him,” Sans chuckled.

            The two girlfriends nodded in understanding, snickering to themselves. We all knew how Papyrus could get, and Sans’ words were absolutely true. We ended up parting ways, Sans making a point to simply ‘port us home. I couldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t exactly want to wedge into a car if I were his size.

            We said our goodbyes, and once Alphys and Undyne were gone, Sans’ arm wrapped around my waist. I looked up at him, and he smirked widely, cheekbones blue, before the world around us had quite literally disappeared, and it was just us in the void.

            There was a gentle pressure on my lips, and my eyes went wide. I didn’t have the time to process, or even understand, what had happened. Soon enough, Sans and I were standing in the center of the living room. He said nothing, as if nothing had happened, and plopped down on the couch. His gaze was completely focused on the TV, which was playing some stupid car show.

            I brought a hand to my lips, the tingling feeling still there, focused on Sans.

            Had he…kissed me…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, and I'm sorry. ;-; I suck at authoring. Joking, but seriously, I wanted to apologize for my lack of being online and updating. I am once again very busy. School is nearly over, and the end of school means a lot of testing, which means a lot of studying (and also crying). So, I'll be busy for the next few weeks, and I can't promise that I'll have many updates up within that timeframe. I'll try as hard as I can, I promise! Thank you all for being so amazing and patient!


	15. New Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something about his stare and the way he spoke made me anxious. I nervously lowered my hand back to my side, nodding to him to be polite. He was…intense. Something about him was just a bit unhinged, just by the way he stared.

            For the next week, my mind was replaying the day with Sans. Whether it was a date or not, I truthfully had no idea. Not only that, but whether he’d really kissed me or not was still a mystery, and I didn’t have the guts to ask Sans.

            Besides, I didn’t want the idea of the skeleton kissing me to disappear.

            The thought was…oddly satisfying.

            I’d never admit it of course. Not to anyone, knowing that it wasn’t often that monsters and humans had any type of relationships. It just didn’t happen. Sure, there was the occasional monster and human relationship, but not often. Usually, humans stuck with humans, and monsters stuck with monsters.

            I had no idea what Sans’ true view on us was. Maybe he just thought of us as fleshy meat sacks… Disturbing thought, but completely valid. I didn’t want to shove any of my potential feelings toward him, not wanting to lose the close friendship we had. Not only that, but I didn’t want him or any of our other friends, to look less of me if I did attempt to start a relationship with the skeleton.

            Groaning in annoyance, I covered my face. I was previously staring up at the ceiling, contemplating my actions.

            ‘Why is this so difficult?’ I thought.

            Huffing, I sat up from the bed, looking at the time. I stood up, getting dressed in my work uniform. I brushed the knots from my hair, braided it, then put on a bit of makeup. Once I finished getting ready for the long day ahead, I exited my bedroom and headed downstairs.

            Without looking up from the TV, both skeleton brothers piped up with the same words.

            “Work?”

            “Of course,” I giggled.

            I kissed them both on the skull, before heading toward the door. I was stopped by Sans, making me pause and look up at him. His cheekbones were a baby blue.

            “I can ‘port ya,” he smiled, “it’ll get you there faster and safer.”

            I smiled at his kindness, not turning the offer down. His arms wrapped around my waist, and he mumbled a warning, before the world disappeared around us. I soon found myself standing in front of the diner.

            Sans released me, chuckling. He winked, shooting me a two finger salute and bidding me good luck, before he was gone. I rolled my eyes, giggling as I entered the diner.

            I walked to the back, pausing when I saw my boss, along with another young man. Boss grinned at me, perking up the moment he saw me.

            “Rory! Very good to see you! Today you’ll be training our newest employee! His name is Peter!”

            I looked at Peter, who was already staring at me. He wasn’t too shabby on the eyes, honestly. He had combed black hair, along with dark brown eyes. He was…tall… Not nearly as much as Sans, but still tall.

            I smiled at Peter, who smirked in return. I held my hand out for him to shake.

            “I’m Rory, as Boss probably told you.”

            He didn’t shake my hand, simply glancing at it, before looking back up at my face.

            “Pleasure to meet you, Rory,” he spoke.

            Something about his stare and the way he spoke made me anxious. I nervously lowered my hand back to my side, nodding to him to be polite. He was…intense. Something about him was just a bit unhinged, just by the way he stared.

            “It’ll just be you two this morning, Rory. Show him how to open up the store and get things prepared! Gabby will be in later to start cooking, so you two open up and we’ll get things rolling from there,” Boss chirped, before blowing me a playful kiss and wandering out.

            I didn’t feel comfortable being alone with this man, but had decided not to say anything about my discomfort.

            ‘Just get the day over with,’ I thought.

            “Aprons are over he-“

            “-I know.”

            I bit my lip at his interruption, and he smirked down at me. He grabbed two aprons, tossing one at me. I put it on, before walking out to the dining room, Peter following me. I tossed him a washrag, and we silently cleaned the tables. The silence was almost unbearable, and I racked my mind for any way to start a conversation to make things less awkward.

            “So, where are you from? Did you just move here?”

            “Yes.”

            That was his only response. Damn, he sure turned that down quickly. I once again reeled to find any conversation topics, failing miserably. Thankfully, he spoke up.

            “You live in town?” He asked.

            “Yeah, I live with two of my best friends,” I answered casually.

            “That’s cool. Hey, how old are you?”

            I was confused by the odd question, but didn’t think much of it. I finished cleaning the last table, looking at him.

            “Twenty-one. How about you?”

            “Twenty-six.”

            And that was the end of our conversation. He didn’t speak up anymore, and I had nothing else to say. Peter and I simply fell into an awkward silence, continuing to clean things up, and get the diner ready for opening.

            I ignored Peter’s sharp stare that seemed to follow me everywhere I went. Not only that, but I ignored every time his gaze dipped just…a bit too far down…

            Soon enough, Gabby had come in, and we officially opened. It didn’t take long before people were coming in. Peter and I took orders, while Gabby cooked, before we brought them out. Soon enough, my two skeletons had come in. Before Peter could get to their table, I happily walked to it, beating him to it.

            “Hey guys!” I chirped.

            They both grinned at me, perking up.

            “WELL, HELLO, MISS RORY! WHAT A SURPRISE TO SEE YOU HERE!” Papyrus piped sarcastically.

            I giggled, kissing his skull lightly, before looking at Sans. He chuckled, waving.

            “How’s your day going, Bruises?”

            I shrugged, sparing a glance toward Peter, who was (with no surprise) already staring at me. I knew Sans would question me about the glance later.

            “It’s been fine,” I stated, looking back at him.

            The glint in his eyes told me that I was completely right. He noticed it, and would question me soon enough. He always did. I knew it wasn’t to push in my business, but to simply make sure I was doing okay. I appreciated his concern.

            I offered him a smile, before pulling out my notepad.

            “Your usual?” I questioned.

            Both skeletons nodded in response. I nodded, writing it down, before heading to the kitchen. Peter’s gaze burned behind me, a bit too low than what I felt comfortable with. I ignored it completely.

            Gabby hurried to make Sans and Papyrus’ orders, knowing exactly how they liked it. I brought them out, setting the plates down in front of them. I hurried to grab their drinks, Sans’ ketchup and Papyrus’ milk. They never really changed things up, though I didn’t mind, simply satisfied to give them whatever made them happy.

            I was about to go help more customers, when Sans’ boney hand caught mine. He pulled me down to whisper in my ear, gaze focused behind me.

            “Who’s the new guy?”

            I blinked.

            “Peter.”

            Sans was silent for a few moments. Then, he released me, popping open the lid to his ketchup bottle. He took a sip, licking the remaining red liquid from his teeth.

            “His gaze wanders a bit too much.”

            I knew it. I knew he’d notice. He always did. Sans noticed everything, so of course he’d notice Peter’s sharp gaze that followed me everywhere. Truthfully, it made me more comfortable now that Sans knew. Sans would die before he’d let anything happen to me.

            I knew he would. I just knew he would…


	16. His Paranoia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans was already out of the house, standing outside the diner. It was fairly dark inside the diner and the open sign was off, worrying him even more. He knew he was being paranoid, but pushed that aside, daring to teleport into the diner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will have inappropriate scenes involved that may not be appropriate for younger readers. ATTEMPTED RAPE. You CAN skip. I will have a short summary in the end notes for those uncomfortable reading this!

The rest of that day was fairly awkward after Sans and Papy had left, Sans mumbling a warning to me that he’d be here in an instant if Peter did anything inappropriate without my approval. I simply nodded, feeling safe whenever I was around him. Just the thought of him made me feel safe, honestly.

            I sighed as we had to close, having worked overtime to train Peter. Gabby had left, wishing Peter and I luck while we closed up. We’d closed, and were currently working on cleaning the tables off.

            I wasn’t paying attention, leaning over the table to wash the opposite side. Suddenly, I felt a hard push to my shoulder blades, before I was forced over the table, Peter holding down my wrists. My eyes widened, heart sinking with complete and utter fear.

            “Get off…” I said as confidently as possible, turning my head to glare at here.

            My confidence was quickly wiped away when I saw the hungry smirk on his features, followed by his wandering hands which dared to slip beneath my shirt. I shuddered, trying to struggle away from him.

            “Q-Quit it!” I yelled.

            “Make me…”

            His voice was low, taunting me. I whimpered, nearly wanting to cry as his hand moved closer to my chest, fingers sliding across my stomach and sides, teasing me. I wanted to reach back for my phone to text Sans, but Peter had my wrists pinned, followed by him being pressed against me.

            I racked my brain for ideas, whimpering as his hand toyed with my chest. Finally, I managed to form a plan. It wasn’t great, and I mentally begged for things to work out.

            Raising my leg, I kicked him in the kneecap. He cried out, stumbling away. I attempted to run, grabbing my phone to text Sans. I only managed to type one letter, ‘h’, before Peter hit the phone from my hand. It slid across the floor, and I scrambled to grab it, before I was slammed down on the table once again, this time my legs pinned by his, and my hands pinned by his hands. I whimpered, shaking.

            I almost cried. I was terrified, and now completely vulnerable.

            But, I managed to hold back my tears, struggling as best as I could. Being as small as I was, it was easy for Peter to keep me down, only making me feel worse. This time, I couldn’t hold back the tears, terror soon enveloping me.

            “Let go! Let go!” I screamed.

            Peter covered my mouth with one hand, his other hand tearing my shirt clean off. He smirked, slamming my head against the table. Vision blurred, I groaned in pain. He took my weakness for advantage, using the fabric of my shirt to tie around my mouth, freeing one hand while the other kept my hands pinned. I tried to scream though the fabric, failing miserably.

            This was happening. There was no one to stop this. I was too…weak… too small. This was going to happen, and I was too pathetic to do anything to stop it.

 

**Sans~**

He tapped his foot, constantly checking his phone, before he’d go back to staring at the TV. It was getting late. Sure, he knew that Rory was staying later today to train that new guy, but he was still worried. He saw the dirty looks that Peter guy constantly gave her. He wasn’t stupid.

            Sans growled. He was impatient as it was, but with every minute that passed, the more worried he became.

            ‘It wouldn’t hurt to check up on her…’ He thought.

            Sans stood up, quickly putting on shoes.

            “Pap! I’m going to check on Rory!” He called to his brother.

            Before the younger skeleton answered, Sans was already out of the house, standing outside the diner. It was fairly dark inside the diner and the open sign was off, worrying him even more. He knew he was being paranoid, but pushed that aside, daring to teleport into the diner.

            Thank God for his paranoia.

            Sans could feel nothing but complete and utter fury upon seeing the scene in the dining room.

            Rory was pinned front-first on one of the tables, completely topless. Her mouth was covered, and her head was bleeding. She had tears streaming down her cheeks while the fucker pinning her had his hand slipped inside her pants.

            Sans couldn’t control it. He simply couldn’t, his eyes lighting up with a brilliant blue and gold. He raised a hand, magic surrounding Peter. He slammed the man into the wall, instantly knocking him out and most likely breaking a few bones.

            Ignoring him completely, Sans rushed to Rory. He grabbed her, pulling her trembling, small form into his coat, untying the fabric from her mouth. She instantly began crying, clutching onto his shirt with every bit of strength she had. Which, for the moment, wasn’t much.

            Sans clutched her close, whispering comforting words to her, trying to calm her down. He didn’t expect his words to do much good, but they seemed to. Her crying gradually died down. He took off his coat, draping it around her. It practically went to her knees, making her look much cuter than she already was.

            Pushing the thought aside, Sans carefully pulled her into his arms, carrying her bridal style. She clutched his shirt, burying her face against it.

            Sans ‘ported them home. Instead of being in the living room as they usually were, he simply arrived in her room, not wanting to get Papyrus involved. Rory was silently thankful for it. He tried to lay her in bed, but she didn’t let go of his shirt. Her grip didn’t falter for a second.

            Sans didn’t protest, laying down in bed with her. She laid on his chest, her form trembling slightly. He sighed, rubbing her back gently. Her trembling died down, and she looked up at him. He cupped her cheeks lightly, the pads of his thumbs carefully wiping the tear stains from her cheeks.

            “T-Thank you, Sans…”

            He wasn’t used to hearing her so…broken. She was vulnerable, he realized. She always had been. She was small, much smaller compared to the average sized man, and especially to him. There was no way she could fight off someone like Peter. She simply couldn’t.

            The thought struck him, and he didn’t realize that he’d tightened his grip ever so slightly.

            Sans would protect her.

            He wouldn’t let another bastard lay a finger on Rory unless she approved. Though… The thought of her approving to anyone else made something painful spark in his soul. He wanted her. He didn’t want anyone else to have her.

            Yet, he wouldn’t dream of forcing that on Rory, knowing she was most likely not interested. He was a skeleton, nothing more than an old pile of bones. He had nothing to offer but his love and his magic. He wasn’t made of flesh.

            Though, he was determined to protect her with everything he had.

            This protection, of course, didn’t mean he would ever tell her his growing feelings… He simply didn’t have the energy to deal with the heartbreak like he had with Toriel…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Rory is cleaning tables when Peter roughly forces himself on her. Sans, being the paranoid skeleton that he is, goes to check up on her since she was running a bit late. He finds an inappropriate scene between Rory and Peter, which was forced, and is soon engulfed in complete fury. He knocks Peter out, rushing to a terrified Rory's aid. He wraps his coat around her, taking her to her room, where she won't release him and he lays in bed with her. Sans admits his feelings to himself mentally, and promises to protect Rory at all costs.


	17. Oh How Broken They Were

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subconsciously, I leaned into his touch. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, which seemed odd considering he had no skin. Yet, that was no complaint. I looked up at him, and found him staring down at me. Not into my eyes, just below my eyes, below my nose. He was staring at my lips. My heart leaped, and I looked down at his own mouth.

I woke up, this time instantly recognizing the arms wrapped around me, along with the hot breathing on the side of my neck. I opened my eyes slowly, eyelids swollen from all the crying the night before. I was wrapped in a familiar blue coat, and momentarily savored the smell of my best friend.

            His coat smelled faintly of ketchup. Though, it was mostly disguised behind vanilla and some other type of sweet smell that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.

            The skeleton shifted, his arms tightening around my waist. He mumbled something that I couldn’t understand, and I was momentarily afraid that he was having a nightmare. Though, when I looked at him, he almost seemed…happy…

            I decided not to wake him, shakily pulling myself from his arms. I held his coat tightly around me. I gathered clothes, walking to the bathroom to wash whatever filth Peter might have had… I shivered at the thought, shutting the bathroom door.

            I had no idea how long I was in the shower. Over an hour, I was certain. I hoped Sans and Papyrus wouldn’t worry, but I had practically scrubbed myself raw by the time I got out. Not only that, but the water had gone completely cold. I couldn’t exactly say it was a pleasant experience, but I felt better afterward.

            I got dressed, not yet willing to escape the comfort of Sans’ coat, I put it overtop my clothes. Sans was still asleep in my bed when I returned, now hugging one of my pillows. As I was looking for my phone, it occurred to me that it was most likely still at the diner.

            “How are you feeling?” Sans’ tired voice mumbled from behind me.

            I jumped at the sound of his voice, glancing back at him. Tired pupils stared back at me, wandering just a bit as he noticed I was still wearing his coat. For a moment, I worried that he wanted it back. The thought soon disappeared when I saw a small smile appear on his features, and his gaze drifted back up to my face. I hugged his coat tighter around me.

            “I-I can give it back…” I stuttered.

            “No, don’t worry. You look cute in it,” Sans answered, sitting up.

            I watched the skeleton stretch, my mind reeling. I wasn’t sure if he even realized what he’d said. Judging by the lack of blue that often appeared on his cheekbones when he said something like that, I assumed he hadn’t realized. So, I decided not to say anything about it, simply smiling.

            Sans stood up. He reached up to my head, where a bruise and a cut marked the skin on my left temple. His boney fingers slid across the wound, hardly adding pressure. He was careful, making sure not to hurt me. And it didn’t. In fact, it almost made it feel better.

            Subconsciously, I leaned into his touch. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, which seemed odd considering he had no skin. Yet, that was no complaint. I looked up at him, and found him staring down at me. Not into my eyes, just below my eyes, below my nose. He was staring at my lips. My heart leaped, and I looked down at his own mouth.

            Skeletons didn’t have lips, yet, I was certain that Sans had his own way he would manage to kiss someone. Maybe a different way, but his own way. That was suddenly good enough for me. Not just suddenly, I supposed it always had been. Different was okay. And Sans… Well, Sans was certainly different. He was different in every way possible. No skin, no organs. But he had a heart. Maybe not a physical one, but one that I was certain he’d ever give to anyone. He’d never open up to anyone. He simply wasn’t like that, and I knew.

            I felt a boney arm wrap around my waist carefully, and I was pulled closer to Sans, just barely. His breath mixed with my own, making me realize how close he’d really gotten. So close… So close, but not close enough.

            Time froze as the hand on my head moved down, boney phalanges cupping my chin gently. The skeleton hunched down slightly, before I felt his mouth press against mine. My eyes widened in shock, yet I managed to push aside the surprise and kiss back as well as one would be able to kiss a skeleton.

            Hardly a breath passed before he was scrambling away from me, eye sockets wide. My heart sank as a familiar emotion crossed through his pupils. Regret. Pure regret. He stumbled back, arms slipping away with me. I shakily reached to him.

            “S-Sans…”

            “Don’t. Just don’t. T-This won’t work, it won’t work. You’re human and I’m… I’m me… This can’t work,” he babbled.

            My fingers barely brushed his shirt, before he’d practically pressed himself against the wall to stay out of my reach. My arm trembled, falling back to my side. I held back my tears.

            “S-Sans, we can make it work! I don’t care that you’re a monster… Please just-“

            “It won’t.”

            My heart sank, eyes widening. His tone had lowered, his head slumped.

            “It won’t work out. I can’t be with a human. I-I…just can’t…”

            That was when the tears started spilling. He can’t be with a human… Anger bubbled in my chest, and I clenched my fists.

            “You’re the one who kissed me!” I cried out.

            Sans flinched at my sudden burst. His head lowered more, if even possible. He didn’t dare to look at me.

            “I shouldn’t have…”

            With those last three words, he disappeared. He disappeared, leaving me there alone, still wearing his coat. I was trembling with anger, sadness, betrayal. Sans had been the one to kiss me. Sans had made the first move, and then he just…leaves. He was a coward, I realized.

            A complete, utter, coward.

**Sans~**

He was slumped in the darkest corner of his old room, in his old home, all the way back in Snowdin. It was where he’d cried the most during his time in the Underground. From Toriel’s rejection to the constant killing of his family and friends. The room was almost exactly the same as when he’d last been here.

            That didn’t matter, though.

            For now, everything else was a blur. Everything but Rory. He knew he never should have kissed her. Not in the void when he’d taken them home after the movie day, nor in her room just moments before. It had all been a bad idea from the start.

            Sans felt as much of a coward as he had when he stupidly watched everyone around him die, too terrified to act. He was a coward, he knew it. Running away from Rory when he wanted nothing more than for her to be in his arms, that was complete utter fear that had compelled him to make such a stupid move. He should be there. He should be there with Rory, wiping the tears that he’d witnessed spilling from her cheeks.

            He’d said such awful things, too. He hadn’t meant them like he couldn’t ever be interested in a human. No… Nothing like that. In fact, it was the complete opposite as that. He’d give anything to be able to tell his friends that Rory was his girlfriend. Without an ounce of shame, he’d happily tell the world.

            But, he couldn’t hurt her.

            Sans was too terrified to open up to anyone. To pull someone into his darkness that he called a life. Especially Rory. She meant the world to him, he knew that much, which was exactly why he couldn’t allow her to be so close to him. It’d hurt her, and he couldn’t do that.

            Yet, he also realized, he was hurting her. Right now, he was hurting her. He’d left her in her room, alone, after a terrifying night before.

            So, there sat the skeleton, unknowingly crying his sockets off. He babbled out apologies to Rory, who would never know how broken the skeleton truly was. He babbled apologies to Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Toriel, everyone. No one ever knew how many nights the skeleton spent like this, apologizing for his existence that seemed only to hurt people…

            No one knew that behind the grin he always wore, he was absolutely broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly do want to apologize for my lack of updating. I've been crazy busy with work, testing, and all kinds of other things. Ugh, damn life, taking me away from my oh-so-precious writing. Heh. Anyway, I'll update when I can. I can't promise that it'll be on a regular schedule, not for a few weeks, probably. But I can promise that I'll take every moment of my free time to work on chapters for you guys!


	18. I Wouldn't Change A Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The innocent promise ended up taking a very dark turn when Sans never returned. We both waited, as Papyrus had suggested we do. Sans did not come home. We even searched the house every hour in case he’d ‘ported somewhere else. He was nowhere to be found. I ended up calling our other monster friends, while Papyrus continuously called his brother’s phone. He never received an answer.

After God knows how long of crying, I managed to pick myself back up and drag myself to the café for work. I couldn’t care about what had happened the night before, I truly couldn’t. For now, my mind was blurry. It was lost. I felt sick to my stomach, and simply wanted to curl up and die.

            The moment I entered the café, my other coworkers came running to me, babbling about how Peter had broken his arm and a few ribs. I acted like I had no idea, because I honestly hardly remember anything from the night before. I managed to find my phone, which had somehow slipped beneath the table throughout the night. There was a small crack in the corner of the screen, but nothing serious.

            I had no missed calls, not surprisingly.

            ‘Not like anyone cares anyway.’

            The though crossed my mind so easily, I hadn’t even realized it. Sighing, I stuffed the phone in my pocket, walking to the back. Gabby noticed me, instantly taking note of how exhausted I probably looked, along with the bruise and cut on my head that everyone else had seemed to miss.

            “Jesus, you’re a mess,” she rushed me to the bathroom.

            Gabby carefully placed a Band-Aid over the wound, biting her lip. She looked at me.

            “You look sick, Ror… Maybe you should go home and rest.”

            It wasn’t a suggestion, I knew. It was a subtle command telling me to go home. Gabby and I seemed a bit distant lately, and I wasn’t sure why. Yet, she’d been the person who always knew when I wasn’t well.

            Deciding against arguing, I nodded simply.

            “Thank you, Gab…”

            “Yeah…”

            That was as far as the conversation went, before I was walking home silently. “Home” didn’t seem much like home anymore. It occurred to me that the only thing that really made this place home was Sans, the one who’d originally saved me from the misery I’d lived in before.

            My mind reeled. Why had I thought he was the perfect guy? He was just like every other guy. Selfish. Why did I think otherwise? Wait… Maybe it was all me. Maybe there was something wrong with me, where I was the freak who turned good guys into monsters. Maybe I deserved all of this…

            Sighing, I entered the house. I tossed my phone on the coffee table, running a hand over my temple. Loud footsteps echoed through the house, and in just a moment, I was yanked into two very long, boney arms.

            “WELCOME HOME, RORY! YOU ARE HOME EARLY TODAY!” Papyrus grinned at me.

            I faked a smile, tapping his skull lightly.

            “Yup.”

            “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HEAD?” Papyrus gasped.

            I shrugged, and Papyrus released me.

            “I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!” Papyrus smiled, “BUT I SHALL ALWAYS BE HERE TO LISTEN IF YOU NEED IT!”

            That brought a genuine smile to my face. I nodded, opening my mouth to respond. Papyrus stopped me by speaking up first.

            “BY THE WAY, HAVE YOU SEEN SANS? HE SEEMS TO BE MISSING! I WAS LOOKING FOR HIM EARLIER, BUT HE IS NOT IN THE HOUSE!”                             

            My smile disappeared. I knew Sans had left, but I thought he would be home by now. He hardly ever left Papyrus alone for too long. Since we’d last seen one another, it had been well over four hours.

            “I’m sure he’s fine, Pap,” I stated, “he’s probably off doing God knows what.”

            That seemed to help the younger skeleton feel better. He nodded, grinning.

            “YES, HE IS MOST LIKELY SLEEPING SOMEWHERE!”

            The innocent promise ended up taking a very dark turn when Sans never returned. We both waited, as Papyrus had suggested we do. Sans did not come home. We even searched the house every hour in case he’d ‘ported somewhere else. He was nowhere to be found. I ended up calling our other monster friends, while Papyrus continuously called his brother’s phone. He never received an answer.

            By the time it was late in the night, I sent Papyrus to bed, promising to stay up and wait in case Sans returned. It was hard to get him to agree, but it ended up working out. Papyrus fell asleep after I’d read him a story. Once he was asleep, I walked downstairs.

            As much as I did not want to see Sans, I would not break my promise to Papyrus. Besides, I would be lying if I said I was not worried about Sans. I could not help but feel like this was all my fault.

            _What if Sans never came back?_

_What if something bad happened?_

_What if he was hurt?_

            These thoughts reeled in my mind, and I was so consumed by them that I almost hadn’t noticed when the front door was pushed open.

            _**Almost.**_

            My eyes snapped up as the older skeleton stepped into the house. His pupils glowed, and he was slumped with what seemed to be exhaustion. In the dark living room, he hadn’t noticed me.

            I stood up, catching him by surprise. His sockets widened, and he stiffened. I clenched my fists, glaring at him.

            “Where the hell have you been?” I hissed.

            Sans sighed. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts, since he was not wearing his coat. The coat that was laid on my bed.

            “Out.”

            “Out?” I spat.

            “Out.”

            “What the fuck, Sans! Everyone has been worried sick about you! Papyrus was nearly crying! We’ve been waiting for hours!” I snapped at him, voice quite enough to ensure the younger skeleton would not wake up.

            Sans did not have an answer. He stared at me silently. I wanted to hit him. To knock some sense into him. What was he thinking? That no one would worry about him if he just disappeared? Of course we would. We would always worry about him. Why didn’t he understand how loved he is?

            “Did _you_ worry?”

            His voice snapped me from my thoughts. I blinked, before looking away. I felt something wet slide down my cheek, and realized I was crying. I shakily wiped the tear, not able to face the skeleton.

            Or lie to him.                                                                                   

            “Of course I did, Sans…” I murmured.

            No response.

            Only silence. Often times, silence was a comforting thing. But now? Now it seemed to be screaming in my ears. Taunting me. It was teasing me, telling me that had I disappeared, Sans would not do the same for me.

            A hand on my chin brought me back. My head was slowly turned, and it wasn’t long before I was facing the skeleton. His face was only inches from mine, the glow of his pupils highlighting every feature on his skull. I swallowed, staring back at him.

            “I am sorry,” Sans whispered.

            His voice nearly broke.

            “I am so sorry, Rory. What I did was…selfish. I should not have kissed you, no matter how much I wanted to. I shouldn’t have run away, especially not without telling anyone where I was going. Most of all, I am so sorry for loving you. I am so sorry for wanting to pull you into my mess of a life…”

            His words played through my head over and over. I was…shocked. Loving me? Sans…loved me? No, that could not be true. It just couldn’t. Yet…I wanted to believe it. I wanted to believe it more than anything.

            I shakily lifted my hands, placing them tenderly on the bones of his cheeks.

            “Please let me into your life…” I whispered, “I want to be a part of it. I want to be with you, Sans…”

            “No… You don’t,” Sans brought his hand up, resting it over mine, “you don’t want to be a part of my life. I’m a mess. A complete, utter wreck. How can you want to be a part of that?”

            I almost scoffed.

            “Look at me, Sans. Look at my life. I’m a wreck, too. My life has been a mess for the last two years. We’re both wrecks, Sans… Please, let me lean on you so you can lean on me too…”

            Sans’ shoulders slumped. He lowered his hand from mine, arms slithering around my waist. My hands fell from his cheeks as his head fell forward, onto my shoulder. His chest heaved as he cried, blue magic sliding down his cheekbones and onto my shoulder, sometimes dripping onto the carpet below.

            It took over and hour for him to stop. By then, I’d moved the two of us to the couch. His head rested on my lap, and he stared up at me. Sans raised his hand, cupping my cheek. His pupils dilated with hesitation, fear, and another emotion I couldn’t pinpoint.

            “Be my girlfriend?”

            The question was a whisper. He was scared of rejection, terrified of it. With a moment of my own hesitation, I finally smiled. A small smile, but a smile.

            “Of course, Sans…”

            The skeleton smiled back, then. His thumb brushed across my lips gently, and he leaned up, kissing me carefully. It was short, and his head fell back onto my lap, eyes still staring at me.

            “I will not touch you like he did. I will never hit you, I promise…”

            That was an oath. An oath that meant everything to me. I realized how lucky I was. This was that savior I had begged for in that house with Heath. This was that better life, the one I always dreamed of. And, even though I never imagined it being caused by a skeleton, even though I never imagined being where I was now, I would never change a thing.


End file.
